The Forgotten
by Smokey Rose OK
Summary: Set post LDYB2, the Pegasus is destroyed, and Apollo must find a way home, getting caught up in a new Cylon battle and stumbling upon the forgotten. Can human mistakes be undone? Can anyone seek forgiveness?
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own anything.

Prologue

The plan hadn't been fool proof. He was going to have to go down with the ship. Like a commander traditionally did. There was honor in it. Not that that was why he was doing it – it was his responsibility. He had saved the fleet before – but he didn't do it for the fame, he did it because it was his job, and humanity needed him. It just so happened that humanity needed him again. The controls were set; there was no turning back now. Everything was in place, so he raced down to the hanger deck where the last Raptor was waiting for launch – but this time there would be no ECO – he would be on his own this time.

It was more difficult than usual to pilot the Raptor – he was launching from a ghost ship. He was the last person on the Pegasus getting his crew to safety even before contemplating his own emergency evacuation. Memories flashed before his eyes as he steered the Raptor off of the platform. He remembered the last time he saw her face, telling her to leave, because this was something he had to do. He remembered telling her to go to his father, and to let him know the things he was always unable to say to him. She understood – she knew the Adama's so well. She knew that he would never change his mind, and she cried knowing that she probably would never see him again.

He had less than thirty seconds before the incoming Cylons would destroy his Raptor, and because of that, he had to make a blind jump. The rest of the survivors had just been rescued from New Caprica. The Pegasus had been the distraction, and the colonials had been successful. The majority of the civilian ships had already jumped, and the rest were waiting for their turn in the sequence. He glanced over towards the Galactica as he started the FTL sequence. They were about to make their own jump, as soon as the Vipers landed. As soon as their CAG got everyone in safely.

He knew the Cylon's would have a hard time with the Pegasus – but then again, that was the idea, that's why the plan was going to work. That is why the sacrifice was going to be justified. As he set the coordinates for a blind jump he took deep breathes. Blind jumps were never a good idea, but there was no other choice. He had to do it, or else he would die – he would go down with the ship. He spinned the drive and whispered a prayer to the Gods, and with that, he was gone.

Back in the Galactica CIC Gaeta reported that the Raptor had jumped. Adama bowed his head in silence, whispering the same prayer his son had moments earlier. Two women fell silent, and knew that there was nothing they could do. They could only hope.

Next: Chapter 1 – Dualla's Fear


	2. Dualla's Fear

Disclaimer: I do not own anything.

Chapter 1 – Dualla's Fear

Dee had been happy. She had been on board the Pegusus as an officer, but more importantly, she was with him. She was with him, and they were happy. And Starbuck was on New Caprica – married. In Dee's mind, things couldn't go wrong, but they did. She called. She called to talk to him, and she needed him. And just when Dee thought things couldn't get worse, the Cylon's came. At first Dee was in shock – they had found them. Then her shock turned to the idea that Starbuck wasn't going to get what she wanted, and then she immediately regretted that thought when she realized that they were all in trouble.

Now she sat there in CIC – unable to move. Adama walked over to stand behind her, placed his hand on her shoulder, and comforted her the best way he could. She knew that she should be comforting him – he had just lost another son. His last living son. The CIC fell silent. Gaeta announced that their own jump had been successful.

"Prep the Raptors for SAR. Plot all possible jumps that Apollo could have taken, and report them to me immediately," and with that he left.

Next: Chapter 2 – Kara's Regret


	3. Kara's Regret

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Chapter 2 – Kara's Regret

Kara hadn't been far from the Raptor's last known coordinates in this sector. She landed her Viper in the hanger deck and sat silently in her cockpit, remembering the sight of Lee's Raptor making the FTL jump. A blind jump was risky, but she knew that he was a great pilot, and that he could make the jump. She just prayed that he could find the fleet again. There was no telling where he was. Chief Tyrol was waiting patiently for her on the ladder.

"There's nothing you could do, Captain," he tried to reassure her. She wasn't really comforted by his comment, but she knew that nothing would comfort her until she saw him again. As she stepped out of the cockpit, she saw Anders waiting for her on the far wall.

"Another successful run from the amazing Starbuck? I knew my wife was a hero, but to see her in action. Wow." He was impressed by her fame. He knew that she missed flying during the year that they were down on New Caprica. He knew that she missed the fleet and being on Galactica. Now she was in her element again.

"It wasn't a success," she whispered, her stomach starting to get queasy. "We lost someone." As he reached out to her, she pulled away, not to get away, but to turn and throw up everything she had eaten that day.

"I guess you have to get used to flying again," Anders called to her, as he walk over to her and put his arm around her in comfort. Tyrol walked over to her knowing that flying didn't make her queasy, and knowing exactly why she felt sick. Tyrol reached for her arm, causing Kara to look up at him. He nodded at her, reassuringly. Tyrol knew that Kara was upset about Lee, and Anders didn't. Her own husband couldn't even pickup on her unhappiness. Kara pulled away from both of them and rushed to the CIC. She wasn't going to lose him.

It wasn't that she didn't love Anders, but that was different. Kara saw herself as a frak-up, and impulsive. She jumped into things without thinking them through, and her marriage to Anders was no different.

Anders had been sick off and on while they were in New Caprica. Ever since they had returned to the fleet, things hadn't really changed. Some days he was good, and others he wasn't. Today he was feeling fine, but she wasn't. They never had a day where they were on the same page.

Next: Chapter 3: The Sonic Boom


	4. The Sonic Boom

Disclaimer: I've taken the liberty of creating my own cylon characterization from Cylons we've seen before on the show – and the character of Meg is mine.

Chapter 3 – The Sonic Boom

In another part of the universe, the sonic boom caught the group off guard. Dr. Simon Crier and his co-worker Dr. D'Anna Durongo stepped out of the tent.

"What was that?" asked Simon as a woman stepped out from behind him in the tent.

"Sonic boom – a ship just entered the atmosphere," said Meg Negala, nervously looking up to see if she could spot the ship. She didn't notice the smile that Simon and D'Anna shared, or D'Anna's whispered, "it's almost time."

Chapter 4 – Cassiopeia's Last Hope


	5. Cassiopeia's Last Hope

Disclaimer – Jon, Meg, their group all mine. Everything else, not mine.

Chapter 4 – Cassiopeia's Last Hope

The crash of the Raptor had Meg Negalla on the move. She rushed back in the tent to get a med kit. She didn't know what the Raptor was doing this far out, but she didn't care.

"You can't just rush out there – we don't know what it is!" protested D'Anna.

"It's a Colonial Raptor; that's all we need to know," replied Negalla. This statement caught the attention of the rest of the small group of eight.

"A Raptor?" This statement had specifically gotten the attention of Jon "Particle" Carlisle. "An S-A-R? They came for us?"

"It was _crashing_, so I doubt it," Meg answered quickly. She had almost given up hope completely that the Colonials would find them all the way out here. For all they knew, all eight of them were dead. "It's about 2 clicks from here. Particle, stay with the group – just in case, we don't know why it was out this far."

"I'll go with you," stated Simon in a rather stern manner. "Whoever is in there has a good chance of needing medical attention."

"Thanks doc." As they started to head out of the tent, Particle grabbed her arm and lowered his voice so that the others wouldn't be able to hear so well.

"Cass, you know the old man's looking for us, if one Raptor is out there, there has to be more nearby. It's got to be an S-A-R." She smiled quickly, nodded, and walked out the door, with the doc closely behind her.

"We've got to move, doc, if they crashed they won't make it long." Again, Meg Negalla turned away from him just in time to not notice the devilish smile that Simon had on his face.

"You lead, I'll follow," Simon mumbled as he followed along behind her.

Next: Chapter 5 – The Admiral's Children

Author's Note: I know that the chapters aren't very long, but they will be getting much longer in the near future.


	6. The Admirals' Children

Disclaimer – You know what's mine – and what's not.

Chapter 5 – The Admirals' Children

The Raptor had smoke pouring out of it, and the door was smashed in on it's side so much that she had to pry it open. When she did, the smoke flooded out. After a moment of quick pause to get a quick breathe, Negalla was able to see a figure in the cockpit through all of the haze. There was a man strapped in the seat in the cockpit, semi-unconscious, but still looked to be alive. She crawled in quickly afraid the ship would explode at any second. Able to release the restraints, she pulled the console up and out of the way, and with Simon's help, was able to drag him out of the smoking Raptor. As they pulled away from the ship, the smoke continued to pour out, and Meg could see the sparks shooting off of the back panel. Catching her breathe, Meg could hear the pilot coughing. As he released his helmet, he turned toward her, gasping for air. He looked up to identify his rescuers. Their eyes met.

"Cassiopeia?" This was a dream, there was no way that she had just pulled Lee Adama out of a crashed Raptor.

"Apollo?" Meg Negalla – THE Meg Negalla, was sitting five feet away from him. The Meg Negalla that was known as Cassiopeia – at least by her fellow pilots. The same Meg Negalla that had died 2 years earlier during a shuttle mission. It was assumed that an in flight problem had caused the ship to explode en route to their destination, an outpost in the Priam sector.

"Either I hit my head really hard, or it's a miracle that you're still alive," he smiled, realizing that she really was alive and sitting across from him. "Well, it's a miracle that I'm even still alive…" he winced in pain as he looked down at his injured leg.

"It's good to see you too. I never in a million years thought that I would see you… ever again…" she was returning the smile. It was the first time she'd smiled in a long time. Suddenly, she saw the markings on his flight suit – Commander. "Well, I see a lot has changed, _commander_," stressing his rank in a half mocking tone, and pointing to the insignia on his flight suit. "You've got to catch me up on the fleet the last two years. Doc Simon Crier, _Commander_ Lee Adama, call sign Apollo." She looked down and saw the blood on the leg of his flight suit. Apollo had managed to get it smashed in the console during the crash landing. "You're leg looks pretty bad," stated Cassiopeia.

"Pleasure to have you join us Commander," said Simon, as he got out his medical kit to treat Apollo's injured leg. He tied it off to stop the bleeding and would look at it when they got back to camp.

"How the hell did you fly this thing so far out without an ECO?" interrupted Cassiopeia, as she surveyed the damage and realized Apollo was alone. "The mighty Apollo can do it all, and he doesn't need any help, apparently," she continued jokingly.

"Think you can walk?" Simon asked helping Apollo to his feet.

"I've had worse," half-joked Apollo. Trying to regain his balance, he almost fell back down, but Cassiopeia grabbed his arm to help steady him, and he maneuvered around to put his arm around her for support. They turned back to the crashed Raptor and Apollo finally realized he was extremely lucky that he had survived the initial crash to begin with. The gods were definitely looking out for him today. Cassiopeia traded positions with Simon, and walked back to the crashed Raptor to ransack its survival equipment. The smoke had died down quite a bit; she was just surprised that it hadn't exploded.

"There's eight of us total; our camp is about two clicks from here," she said pointing in the direction they had arrived from. Grabbing a couple of cases from the Raptor, she slung them over her shoulder, and tossed another to Simon who did the same. She then switched places with Simon so that she could help Apollo walk off his injury and head back to the camp.

"So how the hell did you get appointed to commander?" she asked in a sarcastic tone.

"It's a long story," he replied. "Not a very good one, but a long one."

"Actually, the first question should be how long until the rescue party finds us?" she asked as they started walking. Apollo paused, and looked Cassiopeia square in the eye.

"We need to talk," he said. The seriousness in his voice made her nervous. Apollo had been dreading the questions he knew she would ask, ever since he realized that it was her. He was dreading everything that he had to tell her. He didn't have any good news to offer her. He was still in shock that he had even found her – it was completely an accident. Meg Negalla, call sign "Cassiopeia" was the daughter of the former Colonial Admiral Negalla. She had followed along in her fathers' footsteps in the Colonial Fleet, and served as a Lieutenant junior grade on board the Atlantia, alongside Apollo. When her father was given the command of the Atlantia, she was transferred to the Solaria. Soon after, she transferred again to the Colonial Fleet base at Delphi where she served as a Viper test pilot for a few years – one of the best in the fleet. She was a test pilot until a mishap caused by a rookie pilot. Sadly, the rookie and one of Cassiopeia's wingmen were killed in the incident that few believed Cassiopeia would walk away from. Somehow, she had, but was clearly shaken up from her brush with death. Two weeks after she was released from the hospital, it was announced that her father was promoted to Admiral, and she was asked to attend the ceremony in his honor. She was in no hurry to return to active duty, but had found herself pushed into a mission to fly a group of scientist and their test subjects to a remote outpost station in a distant sector. She was never heard from again.

"Talk about you being a commander, or the rescue party." She figured it wasn't his promotion.

"Cass, they won't be coming for me." The words struck her hard, but she knew that it wasn't his intention. "They don't know where I am." He paused, then continued. "A lot has happened since you went missing. The Cylon's attacked." She needed to know everything, but for now the basics would do. Simon decided that this would be a good time to walk ahead to let the others know that they had found a survivor.

"There's nothing left, is there?" She already knew the answer.

"No." She knew it.

"And he's dead, isn't he."

"I'm sorry." She already knew that too.

Next: Chapter 6 History Lessons


	7. History Lessons

Chapter 6 – History Lessons

"You okay?" Apollo asked. He was concerned. She hadn't moved for quite awhile. They had stopped about 50 yards from the camp so he could explain everything to her. He wanted her to know before he had to tell the others in her group. They had been friends, and he knew that he owed her that much to be honest and not give her false hope. She didn't look good at the moment, but then again, he couldn't blame her. He had to deliver the news that her father was dead and probably everyone else she had ever known was gone too.

"I just need a few minutes to take all this in…" she was ready to cry. She was ready to quit. She felt sick, then she felt angry, then she felt helpless. Every negative emotion she'd ever had, she was having now. Everything that she'd ever known back home was gone. Her father was gone, his ship and crew were gone, her home on Picon was gone, her apartment in Delphi, gone. Everything, gone. She had thought that her own situation was bad, and at that moment she realized how selfish she had been. Millions of people had died in a nuclear holocaust caused by the Cylons, and she was just stranded out in a distant quadrant. When she thought that no one had it worse, she believed that something would have to eventually go right for all of them, but then come to find out that they were lucky compared to the people who died on the colonies. And then there was the idea that Cylons looked like humans now. How could they manage that? Somewhere out there in the universe Cylons looking like people were walking around and trying to eradicate the human race. It was hard to believe, but there was no way that Apollo could be making all of this up. This wasn't a joke – this was their world now. Their situation. Well, not completely, Meg thought. Their world is eight, no make that nine, people living on a habitable forest planet in the middle of an unknown sector of the universe where no one was going to come looking for them. The only chance of seeing other people would be if these so called "humalon" models randomly showed up on their doorstep, something Meg didn't seem to think was very likely.

Apollo had given her time to think everything through. It was information overload. He knew that she was going to be fine in the long run, but it was quite a shock to tell her everything. Especially to deliver the news about her dad. Apollo had always respected Admiral Negalla, and had worked for him while aboard the Battlestar Atlantia, just before the end of the world. It was Admiral Negalla that had promoted him to the rank of Captain, just weeks before he reported to the Galactica for the decommissioning ceremony the day the Cylons attacked.

"I'm sorry about your father," he said quietly.

"Me too," she mumbled, holding it all in.

"He was a good man." Apollo thought back to the beginning, when things had been so much easier. Then it was Apollo and Cassiopeia serving aboard the Battlestar Atlantia. Then it was doing what they do best – flying. They had met when they were younger, being shuttled around from fleet event to fleet event because of their parents. They even attended the academy together. It was common knowledge to all the professors that two Battlestar Commanders' children were going to be in attendance in their classes. Neither Lee nor Meg liked the extra attention they received, so they tried to keep a low profile, but that didn't always work. Having different schedules and assignments, they often met up with each other to grab a drink and compare notes on what was going on in their lives. They never discussed their families – ever. Meg had a good relationship with her father, but she didn't want to be constantly referred to as "the Commander's daughter," and she knew that Lee's relationship with his father was strained. The day after graduation they had received their assignments and were both sent to the Atlantia as members of the same squadron. After serving together for some time, Negalla took command of the Atlantia, and Meg was sent to the Solaria, out of her father's direct chain of command. They kept in close contact with each other, and Cass often spoke of wanting to break up the monotony of the day to day operations of a Battlestar during peace time. On Lee's recommendation Meg had applied to Fleet Headquarters to be transferred to the Viper Test Squad and was accepted.

"So, who's in charge now?" she asked quietly, ready to move on and discuss their options, even though it was painful to do.

"Depends on who you ask," he said sarcastically. "My father has command of the fleet, as Admiral, and Gauis Baltar is the President of the colonies."

"That freaky science guy that's always on the Colonial Report?" she asked.

A nod was his only reply. His vote had been for Laura Roslin, and after all that had happened on New Caprica, he figured the others that hadn't voted for her were wishing that they had. Hindsight is always 20-20, he thought.

"I don't want to tell them just yet," Cassiopeia told him.

"Cass, they're going to find out eventually," he stated, and she knew he was right.

"Just let them enjoy themselves tonight, and we'll lay all the cards out on the table tomorrow." She hoped that was going to be good enough for the others.

Apollo was walking much better now on his leg – it was still a little sore, but he could walk on his own now. Still with a slight limp, they approached the camp slowly, with the others staring to find out what was going on. Apparently Simon hadn't really told them anything.

"Particle – we've got a guest for dinner tonight." she shouted at the man by the campfire, as she and Apollo walked up to join the others.

"But it's been so long since we've entertained," he sarcastically responded with a smile.

"Lee, Lt. Jon Carlisle, call sign, Particle. Particle, meet Commander Lee Adama, call sign "Apollo." Particle saluted and nodded to Apollo.

"Pleasure sir, welcome to… well, here…" he turned back to the fire, then started to ask more questions. "Commander, huh? What ship?"

"Pegasus," he replied almost too quickly, then remembered that the group had no idea any of the events that had occurred within the last two years.

"I thought that was Helena Cain's post?" he asked, but didn't really care to hear the answer as he turned back to poke the food in the fire more. Meg shrugged and she and Lee traded glances. "Guess things have changed since we've been out here in the middle of nowhere. Let's see, the rest of our rag tag group – over there is Rena Gergone, with Steve Silverton, and Michael Dent, that's Tyler Cortley over here by the fire, and I assume you've already met Doc Crier. Oh, and that's his partner in crime D'Anna Dungalo by the tent.

It was at that moment that Lee recognized their situation was more serious than he could have ever imagined. He was now looking at the women he knew as D'Anna Biers.

Next: Chapter 7 – The Cylon Plot


	8. The Cylon Plot

Disclaimer: Same as previous chapters.

Chapter 7 – The Cylon Plot

"Hello," D'Anna said with a smile as she reached out to shake his hand. Not wanting to tip his hand, he played along. He looked over at Meg who was helping Simon with the supplies from the Raptor and realized that she had never had a reason to be suspicious that D'Anna was a cylon. She hadn't known that they could look like humans. Meg had found it hard to believe, so how would she possibly have known that she had been stranded with one for two years? Maybe D'Anna Dungalo was a sleeper agent, like Boomer had been. There were a lot of maybe's and a lot of if's running through his head, which meant that he needed to get Meg by herself again, to let her know that recent developments were going to change everything, and those recent developments would make them form a plan to take out the Cylon threat. What was their motive? Where they sleeper agents that just caught stuck in the wrong place? What was Meg's mission that she was flying them on? Too many questions, and not enough answers.

"We ran out of most of our supplies quite some time ago – it's a miracle that none of us have gotten sick, thanks in most part to Crier and Dungalo. Other than that, we've been finding stuff out in the forest, improvising, you know all that survival crap they teach you in basic that you think you'll never have to use," explained Particle.

"We don't really have the comforts of home, but I thank the Lords of Kobol every day that I just happened to have triad cards in my pocket that day," chimed in Tyler, who came over to help Particle with the food.

Cassiopeia smiled reluctantly at Apollo. Her crew was thrilled to have another person there to talk to – someone with new stories.

"So how long until that rescue mission heads this way?" Particle casually asked Apollo, but before Apollo could even try to answer his question, Cassiopeia cut him off.

"Why don't I show you our Raptor? You are the commanding officer, I have to give you a complete run down of our situation." She lead Apollo over to behind the tent. "I'm putting this off as long as I can," she said before catching the expression on her face. "What?" Something was wrong. "I have the feeling that you've forgotten to mention something. What is it?"

"We need to talk, _again_." His tone made her nervous.

"I got that much. What about? We just ran through the last two years." What had he forgotten to tell her? He grabbed her arm and lead her further away from the camp, behind the downed Raptor from Meg's ill-fated mission.

"Your friendly doc D'Anna? She's a cylon agent sent to infiltrate the fleet." Cassiopeia burst into laughter.

"That's funny Lee, really, you almost had me there, but you lost me at Cylon."

"I've met her before. About a year ago, she was a reporter on the Galactica, D'Anna Biers. She was doing a story on the fleet to help boost morale. Now how can she be here with you for the last two years, but show up as a reporter on Galactica a year ago?" Just when things couldn't get any worse for Cassiopeia, they had.

"You're telling me that this whole time, I've been living and working alongside a frakkin' cylon!" she shouted.

"Keep your voice down – I don't want to let that out just yet," he hushed her. "Has she ever acted strange, made you suspicious, anything?"

"I was taking her to a remote outpost for research. She's a scientist – of course she's strange!" replied an annoyed Cassiopeia.

"Then I think it's safe to assume Simon's a cylon too." Little did either of them know that he could easily be recognized by Capt. Thrace as a Cylon agent, for he was in fact the Cylon doctor that she had met at the Farm on Caprica.

"Wonderful," shrugged Cassiopeia. "Any other bad news you want to hand out? Am I a Cylon too? How about you?"

"What about the others?" he asked. She paused, and contemplated his question briefly, she had been joking asking if he or herself were Cylons, but when she saw the seriousness in his eyes, she realized it was a valid question.

"I don't know. They signed up for the experiment anonymously through the fleet medical center. There were supposed to be test subjects. They were going to research the effects of sleep, nutrition, a couple of other random things." He gave her a look that it was vital to know every detail – a look that she recognized almost immediately. "It didn't seem too damn important before. Sorry." She paused again before she continued. "No one seemed to know each other before hand except the two doc-," she caught herself, "cylons."

"What about your ECO?" he knew she wouldn't like the question, but he needed to know how much to trust him.

"You're kidding, right?" he wasn't.

"One of my pilots was a cylon sleeper agent, and the day we found out is the day she tried to assassinate my father in the Galactica CIC." She understood – things were different; there were extra precautions that had to be taken.

"I trust him with my life. He's _not_ a cylon. His parents were both hot shot politicians back on Aquaria, I've met them before." Apollo contemplated their next course of action, but was caught of guard by Cassiopeia's sudden swearing.

"Frack me!" She was visibly angry, and looked about ready to kill someone.

"What?" he was caught off guard by her sudden anger.

"The day of our mission – Simon was in the Raptor well before the rest of the crew. He told Particle he was just nervous of space travel. He thought hanging out in the Raptor would prepare him for the trip. You know, get acquainted with your surroundings? He was alone in there, enough time to…" her voice faded out.

"Sabotage the ship?" he finished. "You think he did something to the Raptor?"

"He had to of – after we made the jump, the coordinates turned out wrong. I always thought that I screwed up the count, but I double-checked the jump coordinates just out of nervous habit and they _were correct_. We ended up so far out here. We got caught in the planet's orbit, so we had to bring her down. It was a rough landing, but I still figured I could get her ready for flight – navigation, FTL drive, multiple systems all down. Particle tried everything." She stood there in disbelief. "They sabotaged my frackin' ship!"

Next: Chapter 8 – Spare Parts


	9. Spare Parts

Disclaimer – Same as always.

Chapter 8 – Spare Parts

Cassiopeia would have never thought of herself to be in the position that she was in. She had crash landed a Raptor on a distant planet, with practically little or no hope for survival, managed to make it two years and still be alive, all the while living with two Cylons, a group of strangers, and the ever present question of whether or not there was a future for any of them. And then Apollo had shown up.

They didn't really have a plan. They had the possibility of a communication pod and the idea that the Cylon threat had to be eliminated, but exactly how it would all unfold had yet to be decided. If the Cylons had jumped from New Caprica, there was a chance they could pick up the communication pod, and that had disaster written all over it. They didn't want to alert the Cylon fleet, and they certainly didn't want to alert D'Anna and Simon to the fact that they were currently winning their little game of "ants under the magnifying glass."

That night after everyone had enjoyed a couple rounds of Triad, the majority of the group turned in for the night. All that remained were Dent, Cassiopeia, Apollo, and Particle. Particle had known something was up from Cassiopeia's mood the entire evening. She had been exchanging worried glances with Apollo all night. No one seemed to notice, and at first he passed it off as rattled nerves that they had another individual join them, but as the night went on and he thought more and more about it, he realized that something serious was going on. Who exactly was this Commander Apollo guy? What was his story? Were he and Cass…? Had they been…? His thoughts were interrupted by Cassiopeia.

"I've been thinking…" started Cassiopeia in a low voice, looking straight at Apollo. "It's time to tell them, at least these two."

"Agreed." Apollo knew that it was time, and he knew that they would need help from Dent and Particle if they were going to pull off this entire operation. "Whatever you are about to be told, you are to keep it to yourself. No one is to know – no one – until the proper time."

"What the hell is going on?" asked a worried Particle. He was starting to get angry at Cassiopeia. They were the only two Colonial fleet members, and often bonded on that fact. They understood things that the civilians didn't. They had always been in on everything together, and all of a sudden she had been keeping secrets.

"Quiet!" she said in a loud whisper. "Keep your voice down and listen Lieutenant." She was not in the mood to argue – she wanted to start evaluating their situation. Apollo didn't know where to start, so he just threw it out there.

"D'Anna and Simon are Cylons." Dent and Particle froze. _Well at least they weren't laughing at me like Cass did_, Apollo thought. The silence continued as they looked from Cass to Apollo, and then at each other. Apollo continued, "There are 12 Cylon human like models scattered throughout the fleet. We know of six of the models. About a month after you disappeared the Cylons infiltrated the security network for the colonies. They initiated a nuclear holocaust on the 12 colonies destroying everything. There are approximately 41,000 survivors in the fleet right now lead by the Battlestar Galactica."

"This is ridiculous!" sighed Dent as he rubbed his temples as if he had a headache. "You're telling me that Cylons look like us now? And after all this time of peace, they suddenly attacked?"

"Yes, they do, and yes, they did." Cassiopeia wasn't in the mood for a debate.

"My mission was to use the Battlestar Pegasus as a decoy to allow the last civilians the chance to get away from the Cylons so that they could continue on to Earth – the lost colony of Kobol."

"Earth?" Now it was Particle's chance to express disbelief. "Does it even exist?"

"In a word, yes." Apollo wasn't about to go into detail that he'd technically "been there" as he entered the tomb of Athena.

"Which leads me to the question of how did you get here? They weren't looking for us, were they?" asked Dent.

"No, they weren't. It was believed that you had all died in an accident upon your FTL jump. I evacuated the Pegasus moments before she plowed into a basestar. I was forced to make a blind jump and got caught in the planet's atmosphere – very similar to what happened to you all, I believe." Cassiopeia nodded, Apollo continued. "D'Anna and Simon are two of the six models we have already identified."

"We've been living with frackin' toasters for the last two years? We've been relying on their help – why wouldn't they just kill us?" asked Particle.

"I can't answer that," replied Apollo.

"I can," said Cassiopeia catching the three men off guard. "What better way to know your enemy than study it? They want to see our reactions to adverse situations. We've been an experiment this whole time. You were all going to be test subjects for their science project – but they changed everything and included Particle, myself, the shuttle… it was all to see how we would react, so they could gain intel and report back on what they discovered."

"If that's true, how do they report back?" asked Dent bluntly. "They're stranded here just like us!"

"I don't want to stay around here and find out," Cassiopeia threw back at him.

"How do we take out the Cylons? This is insane!" sighed Dent.

"I worked on our ship each day after the crash, repaired her as best I could, but not enough to get her off the ground. She won't fly – yet." Suddenly, Particle caught on.

"I get it – we take inventory of what we need to get her flying. With any luck some of the parts on the commander's ship can be transferred or improvised or something. I bet we could get her off the ground." He was starting to get excited.

"One problem," offered Dent. "Oxygen. You know, the stuff that we breathe, keeps us alive. We can't endlessly roam the galaxy looking for a fleet that's jumped away. We'll die in the cold vacuum of space."

"That's comforting, thanks Dent," said an annoyed Cassiopeia.

"We have the jump coordinates for this location. If worse comes to worse, we save enough that the last jump can get us back here," offered Apollo. "But that's not the real problem – tyllium. How much do you have?" Particle shook his head.

"We set her down as soft as we could – but we ripped the fuel line. Caught the leak in time to save some of it, but not really enough to go anywhere."

"We go anywhere and we die in the cold vacuum of space," insisted Dent.

"You've already said that, moron," said an annoyed Cassiopeia. "This can't be a half-ass job – we have to do this or we are sitting ducks until the Cylons decide to come and check up on it's two friends. I'm not waiting for them." Dent knew she was right, but he also knew that their chances were slim to none.

"If we do this, what about the others?" asked Dent.

"We keep it quiet for now. No use in stirring something up just yet – we don't want the Cylons to know that we're onto them, and we don't have a clear enough plan," answered Apollo. "What is your weapons situation?"

"My side arm is out of ammo. Cass?" said Particle, as he looked over at her. She just shrugged and shook her head.

"I'm out too," she stated.

"I have the round in my side arm and one spare," he said. "We'll have to make it work."

"So what's next?" asked Particle.

"Sleep," Particle and Dent were caught off guard by Cassiopeia's suggestion.

"What?" they asked in unison.

"If we don't get back in there and continue our day to day duties, they'll know something's up. That's not going to be part of the plan," she told them quickly as she stomped out the fire in the pit. "We start working tomorrow."

"And just how are we going to piece together a Raptor without them knowing?" asked an amused Dent.

"Particle and I will start checking the Raptor to see what we need – and tomorrow night we'll get the spare parts. Cass knows what she has to do."

"What about me?" asked Dent. "What do you need me to do?"

"You're our bait," smiled Cassiopeia.

Next Chapter: Her Search


	10. Her Search

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, really.

Chapter 9 – HER SEARCH

Dee was beside herself. She was on the com frantically trying to reach Apollo. She'd been at it for the last 57 hours, and she wasn't planning on stopping anytime soon. Some of the others were helping as best they could. Helo was sending out communication pods, and directing pilots to FTL points Tigh had plotted as possible jump coordinates that Apollo could have taken. Then there was her. Kara Thrace. Starbuck.

Starbuck hadn't even asked for permission or clearance; she had stolen a Raptor from the deck hanger and made several FTL jumps looking for him. Dee didn't know why she was so mad a Starbuck – they had the same goal, find Lee and find him fast. Deep down she knew that she didn't want Starbuck to find him, but that was just for selfish reasons. She wanted to be the one to find him. She wanted to be assured that he was okay. She wanted him to be back. Sure things had been strained on and off, but they had overcome so many things to get where they were. She didn't want Kara Thrace back in their lives because she knew it would make things more difficult.

She thought back to the happy times, before her home was gone. Her home on the Pegasus. On board the Pegasus with Lee for the last 11 months, they had worked side by side in CIC, and lived side by side in the off hours. Not once were the words Thrace, Kara, Starbuck, Billy, or Keikeya ever mentioned. The crew had come to respect Lee in his command. They had been skeptical at first, then realized that he knew what he was doing, even if they were just lighthouse keepers. They kept the light shining – together. She had no desire to leave for New Caprica; she was comfortable where she was. Just as she figured Starbuck and Anders were happy where they were. But she knew that Starbuck was thinking of him. Dee remembered the day she found Starbucks tags on the floor. Lee had dropped his, and was searching the room. Dee had found them, and as she twirled them around her finger, she noticed that the words on them did not say Cmdr. Lee Adama – they said Capt. Kara Thrace. She did a double take, and confronted him about the situation. Seeing the expression on his face, Dee realized that he didn't know he had been wearing Kara's tags the whole time. She must have switched them out of his cabinet one day, and out of habit, he just put them around his neck. Why look at something so closely that you know said your name, rank, and serial number? Dee wondered if Anders had ever found Kara wearing Lee's tags.

Anders was starting to get angry. He didn't have a position on board the Galactica. He was a labeled civilian – known only as Starbuck's husband. He didn't know what he was doing or where he needed to be. Kara had left him without a word. Rumors around the ship were that she had stolen a Raptor and was frantically searching the galaxy for any sign of… him. Lee Adama… Apollo. Anders knew that they were friends, he knew that Kara was close with the Admiral, and he knew all about Zak. Kara had told him those things. But there was one thing that she had not told him. He had to rely on overhearing people on the ship; he knew the rumors of Starbuck and Apollo – best friends, ace pilots, probably something more. There was a frakkin' pool going to see how long until they finally admitted their feelings to each other. Anders contemplated signing up for the pool himself. He'd win all the cubits on board the ship if signed up for the day that they found him alive. Or the day they received confirmation that he was dead. Either way, he knew it would be over. That's how it was. That's always how it had always been. He had been a replacement. Temporary. He had been a replacement because Kara didn't want to hurt Lee, and Lee didn't want to hurt Kara, and because Kara couldn't be honest with herself. He thought back to Caprica, and when they'd first met. He had been a replacement all along because both Kara and Lee were morons. She used him their first night together on Caprica… well, actually every night they had together.

He walked through the passageways hoping to find some confirmation on what exactly Kara was doing. She had to come back eventually to refuel. He was entering the hanger deck when he stumbled upon Chief Tyrol and Admiral Adama discussing the search.

"She's refueled three times, and she's due back any minute for a fourth," Chief Tyrol told Adama. "She hasn't had an ECO with her at all – she's doing this alone." His voice sounded a little worried.

"I'm starting to worry about her too. She refuses to talk to anyone," replied a tired Adama. "I'm grounding her when she gets back."

"You know that won't work sir." Tyrol was right – it wouldn't. Kara would do whatever it took to refuel and get back in the air to find him. Adama knew that, Tyrol knew that, and Anders knew that.

Adama had been through this before. Numerous times he had thought he had lost his son, but he had always come back. Was this time going to be different? How many more times would he have to go through this? He'd already lost one son, and he wasn't about to lose his other. The daring missions were part of the job, the sleepless nights were part of the job, the endless piles of paperwork and flight schedules were part of the job, but losing your son was never supposed to be part of the job.

Major Kelly announced the arrival of Starbuck in Raptor 349. Anders decided this was a good time to make his presence known, so he came up behind Chief Tyrol, and decided that he would play on his sympathies.

"Chief, any delay you could cause so that I could get a chance to talk to my wife would be greatly appreciated," he spoke up. Adama acknowledged his presence by contemplating his words, and then nodded to the chief before heading over to where the Raptor was being docked.

The deck crew brought her in and was already prepping the ship to continue on the search. As Starbuck stepped off the platform, she already knew exactly what Adama was going to say.

"Chief, get her in check – I leave again in 5." Starbuck's tone was quick and to the point. She unzipped the top of her flight suit and walked over to grad the clipboard from the deckhand.

"You're done Starbuck." Adama told her, not making eye contact.

"No, sir, I'm not." _Sir? _He thought? She was using military jargon; she was serious.

"Kara, you need a break, this is ridiculous," Anders spoke up. Kara stared down Adama, and finally responded.

"When my ship went down on that frackin' planet with the Cylon raider, who endlessly lead the search teams trying all possible options to find me?" Lee had never given up on her, and she wasn't going to give up on him. "I'm returning the favor."

What exactly was going on between Lee and Kara, Adama didn't know. He knew that his son was in a relationship with Dee, and he knew that Kara was _married_ to Anders. Adama liked both Dee and Anders, they were good people. But he knew better than anyone that they were both wrong for Lee and Kara. He didn't really know what was right for Lee and Kara, but he could tell that things weren't set right.

"This is unacceptable – the fleet must move on before the Cylons find us here." President Gauis Baltar had appeared; apparently he had been searching for Adama for quite some time when he wasn't to be found in his quarters or CIC. "We will not continue to put the fleet at unnecessary risk while you go on with this endless hope that your son is still out there. He's gone Admiral." Gauis Baltar didn't see the fist coming.

"Get off my ship – Doctor Baltar." For the first time in a long time, Gauis Baltar didn't argue that he should be called by his proper title, and he wasn't about to stick around and find out what Adama's next move was going to be. "Prepare my ship Mr. Gaeta – we're leaving. Contact the quorum – maybe they can talk some since into the Admiral." And with that he was gone, hold his blooding nose, and walking away as quickly as possible. The chief couldn't help but laugh.

"Nice right hook, sir." The chief had wanted to do the same thing.

"Thanks chief."

Next: Chapter 10 – Raiding the Raptor


	11. Raiding the Raptor

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, really…

CHAPTER 10 – RAIDING THE RAPTOR

Michael Dent had been used as a decoy during many intense pyramid games. He had never been used as a decoy in a game of life or death with the Cylons. Pyramid games made him nervous – but this? This was the scariest thing he had ever had to do. How was he going to stall two Cylons so that the others could fix the Raptor? Where were they going to go? A nature hike in the forest? A walk around the cliff dives? They'd done all that the last two years out of boredom and needing to find things to do. This was going to take some creativity. Then it dawned on him - fake them out. All he had to do was cause an "injury" and they'd be rushing to his assistance, but to pull this off he was going to need some help. And that's when Rena walked up to him.

"Got any ideas for today?" she asked.

"I do now," he said, finally piecing together a plan. "I figured we could go for a walk around the cliff dives?"

"Okay…" Rena replied, somewhat suspicious. They had been to the cliff dives many times – what was so special about it this time? She didn't argue though. Rena enjoyed spending time with Michael Dent, Aquaria's star Pyramid player. Any time she could spend with her favorite player, she was all set. They had spent most of their days together exploring the area. They were an odd couple, an athlete and a historian, but they had bonded. Rena had finally gotten him to open up to her a couple of months ago, when he revealed to her that he signed up for Simon and D'Anna's experiment as a means to get away from the crazy day to day life of a sports star. Pyramid was losing its glamour in his eyes, and he wanted a break – wanted to be able to go find himself. Instead, he became a survivor, crashing on a distant planet with seven, now eight, other people.

Cassiopeia had seen him and Rena talking, and then walk off towards the canyon area, where the cliff dives were. She was angry. It had been her call to bring Dent in on their plans. They had trusted him enough to let him know what their real situation was and ask for his help, and he'd taken off with Rena when he was supposed to be distracting the Cylons. _Never trust a hotshot Pyramid player_, she thought to herself. What was he thinking? He knew this was their only chance.

Particle was starting to get angry too – he had been ready to take off to Apollo's crashed Raptor for quite awhile now; he was just waiting for the right time. After a half hour he was ready to meet with Cass and discuss a new plan. Maybe one that involved shooting the Cylons right then and there – but Cass and Apollo both argued against that, and they had a point. What if their deaths triggered the Cylons to come and get them? What if there was another Resurrection ship and they were reincarnated in new bodies, and then came and got them? What if… there were so many what ifs. They were just going to have to take care of that after the ship was fixed. No sooner had he cursed Dent, than Rena was seen running towards them.

"Simon! D'Anna!" she shouted, as she rushed up to the tent, desperately trying to find them.

"What is it?" asked D'Anna, as she stuck her head out of the tent.

"It's Michael – we were walking over by the cliff dives and he lost his footing and slipped!" she was frantic and worried. "Please hurry, both of you – he needs your help." Cass glanced over to Particle who was trying his hardest not to smile. "I don't see how he can walk back, we're going to need some help," continued Rena. "Let's go! Hurry!"

"I'll give you a hand," offered Silverton, as he dropped what he was doing and followed quickly behind Rena, D'Anna, and Simon.

"I'll start a fire for when you guys get back," Particle informed them as they were leaving. Then turned to smile at Apollo and Cass – Dent had pulled it off. "I guess I shouldn't have doubted the guy," Particle told Cass.

"That was almost too easy," stated Apollo, glancing over at Cassiopeia, as soon as the others had disappeared from their sight. He wanted to be cautious, but they didn't have much time, they had to move now.

"We don't know how long he can give us, so we better get going," said Cassiopeia. She had already grabbed a bag to put the spare parts in, and was walking towards them. "Hopefully he can hold them off long enough." Cassiopeia had already surveyed the ship to see what was needed, so the three pilots left to gather the missing pieces.

As they approached the downed Raptor, Cass became more and more nervous. After two years of being stranded on a distant planet in the middle of nowhere, she was finally going to have an opportunity to get back to civilization. All that had happened, all that she'd done through, would be worth it to be back in the fleet, she thought. They had missed so much – their families, friends, and even materialistic things.

"What's the first thing you're going to do when we get back, Cass?" Particle joked. He already had the panel open, and way prying out wires and plugs.

"Eat. Something, anything that can't be found on this planet," she laughed as she was searching for an alternative converter source.

"Hate to jog your memory on this particular issue, but Battlestar food isn't all that it's cracked up to be," reminded Lee. He was busy trying to start up basic ship systems. If they had enough power left in her, they would be able to detach the coordinates of their current location from the FTL drive.

"Well, just something in my stomach so I can wash it all down with a bottle of ambrosia," she laughed as she was putting pieces into the bag she had brought with them. "What about you guys?"

"A shower," answered Particle. "A nice long shower, with real soap, hot water, and a fresh towel waiting for me, so much better than the creek down the way with it's freezing cold temperatures, occasional critter, and slippery, mossy banks. "Well, that's second, I guess." He paused, thought for a moment, and then spoke up again, "I'd search the fleet for my family first." As soon as he said it, he felt guilty. Cass's only family was her father, and he was gone.

"We'll help," offered Cassiopeia.

"I figured if Laura Roslin was the president after the initial attacks, my parents are both gone," Particle said sadly. "But I guess I still hold out hope that my brother and sister are alive somewhere. Maybe they managed to get away." It was a long shot, but ever since he had found out about the Cylon attack, he prayed everyday that it was true.

"What about you, Apollo?" asked Particle. He hadn't really thought about it, so his question caught him off guard.

"Flying." Something so simple, yet so complex to your everyday Viper pilot. Apollo hadn't flown a Viper in so long. It had been about a year, since he had taken command of the Pegasus. A Battlestar commander didn't fly a Viper – he directed those that did. "It's been awhile since I've been in the launch tubes – I didn't think I'd miss it that much…" His voice trailed off. He didn't really understand his answer – why didn't he mention his father? Or Dee? Or… Kara…

"Cable is fried, but I think if we re-route the com system, we can get enough power to start the other ship back up," Particle suggested.

"Fly without a com system?" asked Cassiopeia. "How are we going to be able to contact Galactica? They won't be able to identify the Raptor, so how exactly are we going to make our presence known?" Apollo came over to survey what Particle had in his hands.

"He's right, it's our only option. We're just going to have to rely on the last communication pod," said Apollo. "We don't have any other choice."

Finding some of what they needed made them feel extremely lucky, but all of the obstacles they had faced were causing Cass to doubt their plan all together. There was so much they were going to have to improvise.

"It's definitely not going to be the safest space travel," declared Particle, nervous about the pieces they were going to have to improvise.

"At least it gives us a fighting chance," confessed Apollo, as they gathered the last few pieces together and started back towards the camp.

Meanwhile, Cortley had been wondering where everyone had gone off to. The pilots were being extremely exclusive, the doctors were always off together, and now Rena and Dent had disappeared off to who knows where. What was going on? He caught sight of the pilots heading back and rushed off to meet them.

"What the frack is going on?" Cortley asked. "Where is everyone?" Cass eyed the others before tossing Particle the bag and turning back to him.

"Dent fell back at the cliff dives, they went to go help." Cortley was wearing angry expression.

"So you went off for a walk in the park?" shouted an angry Cortley.

"We went out to the other Raptor to see if we could find any more med kits - ours has kind of been used up since we've been here for two years!" she shouted back at them angrily.

"You know I expected better from you Cass," he threw at her angrily. "Running away from a situation, instead of helping. That's not how I do things. I'm going to give them a hand," Cortley said. He started off walking, glancing back in Cass's direction. Cass had an uneasy feeling coming over her as she knew that he was suspicious, and would probably pass it on to the others.

Particle and Apollo had quickly begun repairs on Cassiopeia's Raptor. They weren't going to have much time, but they had to make it work - this was their only chance to distract the Cylons without them being too suspicious. They wouldn't get another chance.

An hour passed, and Apollo could see the hikers returning to camp in the distance.

"Let's go, we've got less than a minute," he said, watching as Cass pulled herself up from under the Raptor as Particle grabbed the wrench to tighten the last part he installed.

"This is it," said Particle, but no sooner had the smile crept on his face, did the piece bust in two as he tried to tighten it on the mounting. "Frack!" he shouted in disbelief. "What now?" he asked nervous - they wouldn't be able to take off without a similar piece.

"We'll get it tonight - when everyone's out for the night; let's go," hurried Cass as she pulled him back towards the tent. They wiped the grease off of their hands so not to be obvious, and then rushed out to see if Dent was okay. He was.

"What did you do this time?" asked Cass, approaching the group of hikers. She ignored the dirty looks from Cortley, and walked up to Simon. "So, what's the prognosis?"

"He'll live," Simon said, with a smile, "but he won't be taking any long hikes with Miss Gergone anytime soon. So what did you guys do while we were gone?" Was he suspicious, Cass thought, trying to read his thoughts.

"Went through all the supplies again from Apollo's Raptor, see if there was anything of use?" she stated calmly.

"Find anything?" asked D'Anna.

"Um... well..." what was she going to say? No? After four hours, they'd accomplished nothing? Well that wasn't entirely true, they'd almost rebuilt a downed Raptor, outer casings and all, but by way of supplies?

"A couple of cold compresses, but nothing much," Apollo jumped in. "We've got soup on for later too," he offered, apparently satisfying D'Anna's curiosity.

Later that evening, the fire was smoldering the last few logs that had been tossed on it. Apollo and Particle were sitting beside the fire, patiently waiting for time to do what needed to be done.

"Well, if you guys are going to stay up for a little while, I'll keep you company," offered Simon. Definitely the last thing they needed right now. Cassiopeia offered a quick prayer to the Lords of Kobol that he wasn't onto them.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted. Good night!" Cassiopeia was going to be the other decoy. Maybe they would follow her and forget about the guys.

"Yeah, I'll get the fire out, and then I'm headed in. See you all in the morning," said Particle. Simon looked curious, but he let it go, and decided to call it a night himself. After about ten minutes of everyone being inside the tent, Particle was ready to go. He and Apollo got to the Raptor as quickly as possible, stumbling in the dark because the one flashlight they had was barely working anymore.

"I was throwing out the parts we don't need, and I threw out about three spares," Particle whispered loudly. Even though they were far off from the camp, they couldn't be too careful.

"Where would it be?" asked Apollo as they were searching the lose pieces on the ground.

"Somewhere over here," said Particle. Shuffling through the pieces on the ground hoping and praying that they would be able to find the right one. As he searched, the flashlight went out. "Frack! Can anything go right?"

"Keep looking," ordered Apollo, but he stopped suddenly. He could hear footsteps in the distance. Particle was still shuffling around, when suddenly he grabbed the right piece, just as Apollo motioned for him to be quiet. Particle froze - he could hear voices.

"What could they possibly be doing? You don't think they could repair that Raptor, do you?" D'Anna's voice carried through the trees.

"I don't know exactly what's going on, but they are up to something," replied Simon.

It took Apollo less than a second to grab Particle, and shove him underneath the Raptor, before diving out of sight himself before the Cylons could see them. As he glanced to the side he could see that D'Anna's foot was only inches from his shoulder.

"Well, they've definitely been here. It looks like they got some spare parts to repair the other Raptor." D'Anna was not happy. They were going to have to call in reinforcements - sooner than planned.

Cassiopeia had positioned herself about 20 yards back behind them. Either they were playing along knowing she was there, or they had no idea she was following them. She could barely make out what appeared to be a human hand very close to where D'Anna was standing.

"We're going to have to destroy it, so they can't keep working on the ship. We have to buy ourselves at least two more days before reinforcements can come," said D'Anna.

"You don't think we can handle this by ourselves?" questioned an angry Simon.

"I think you underestimate the Colonials, Dr. Crier." She wasn't in the mood to debate the details. "I don't trust Meg Negalla, and I sure as hell don't trust that Commander. You know that he's Admiral Adama's son."

"Do what you think is best - that's usually what happens." He wasn't in the mood for her to pull rank. "Let's just do what we came here to do." With that, she threw a match down at the tylium line leak and the Raptor went up in smoke. Cassiopeia did the only thing she could do - she took off running. Right past the Cylons, and into the brush area behind the Raptor now in flames.

"Over here you frackin' toasters!" As soon as she yelled it, she immediately cursed herself. Sure, the others would be able to get away if they weren't already dead, but how the hell was she getting out of this one? The Cylons knew that they had been discovered. It was up to Particle and Apollo to get the ship fixed and get the other on board.

Apollo sprung into action. He and Particle scrambled out from under the burning Raptor, but Particle wasn't as quick to move. His arm had been burned quite badly trying to grab the last remaining piece they needed. It had been engulfed in flames, and Particle wasn't going to leave it. He reached in, wincing in pain, and retrieved the piece.

Day was now breaking. Particle and Apollo rushed back to camp, startling the others who were just waking and wondering where everyone was. Apollo ran to attach the last piece on the console in order to be able to fly the ship, as Particle got to the others.

"We're getting out of here!" he yelled at them. "Grab all life essential items in the next 30 seconds, or you'll be left behind?" Despite all the confused looks, and the nervous glances, they knew his tone was serious. Apollo reached for his sidearm, and tossed the spare ammo to Particle who loaded it in his own.

"Where's the Lieutenant?" asked Dent, clearly understanding the situation.

"She's on her way," stated Particle, as he glanced over at Apollo who nodded.

"Get the others on board the Raptor," yelled Apollo, as Dent nodded and went to carry out the order. This was it.

Next: Chapter 11 – Galactica's Hope


	12. Galactica's Hope

Kara was at it again. Continuous sweeps in a borrowed Raptor. Well it wasn't really borrowed, she thought to herself. She had taken it – without permission. When she had gone missing and couldn't be found, the Adama's had searched for her. Lee had searched for her. Without food, without sleep, without anything but hopes that he would find her. They had gone through so much, and he wasn't about to let go of her, and now, Kara felt the same. This wasn't a Starbuck and Apollo thing. This was a Kara and Lee thing.

Tylium limits brought her back to Galactica. She was half expecting to find Adama waiting for her on the deck, but when she approached Chief Tyrol, it was Doc Cottle that was waiting for her.

"Chief, I want her back up in the air - " she started, but the Chief cut her off.

"As soon as possible, yes sir, I know…" This had been the routine, over and over and over again for the past 57 hours. The Chief knew she had no intention of stopping anytime soon, either, so he just accepted it and continued to help her.

"You're coming with me, now," said Doc Cottle, in his usual 'don't start with me' manner. Before she could even protest, his expression became more serious, "Now, Captain."

"I don't need a lecture about slowing down, or about how I - " but he cut her off as well.

"This is about your husband," Cottle declared. This caught her completely off guard, and she stopped dead in her tracks.

"What about him?" she was alarmed by the sudden mention of her husband. She hadn't really seen him much in the last two days, because of the search.

"He's taken another turn for the worse," he answered back. "We're trying some new treatments." Apparently nothing was going to go right for Kara. Lately everything that shouldn't be happening was happening. "I think you should go see him." Kara nodded. She did need to go see him.

She loved Anders, but something wasn't right in their relationship. She had been happy, she had a life on New Caprica, she had a family, or the start of one, and she had a peaceful existence where she was. _Well that's stupid_, she thought. _I had a life on Galactica, I was happy enough with my friends, and I had a family – the Adama's. The Admiral and Lee. And who needs a frackin' peaceful existence when you're a born fighter blowing Cylons out of the frackin' sky?_ By the time she reach Anders bedside, she was more conflicted than ever. _You always jump into things, Starbuck. Lee always told you that. You're a frackin' moron Kara Thrace,_ she thought.

"Hey," said a weak voice to her side, as she turned to look at him. "I didn't expect to see you unless..." but he stopped. As soon as he said it, he regretted his choice of words, but was glad he had stopped in time. _Unless he's alive and well, or unless he's dead and you know it for sure, _he finished the thought to himself.

"Doc Cottle caught me and told me that you relapsed, again." She had concern in her voice, and that seemed to surprise Anders.

"It's nothing really – I'll be back in the gym playing Pyramid before you know it." No doubt he would, she thought. Kara didn't know what else to say. Lately she realized that since they had been rescued from New Caprica she didn't have much to say. After a bottle or two of ambrosia she could wing it, but there was always an awkward silence that couldn't be fixed, and since she was flying round the clock now, ambrosia was out of the question until they had found Apollo.

"We'll have to keep you here for a couple of days," said Doc Cottle, as he glanced over at Kara almost daring her to stay with Anders while he recovered. "You need your rest, as does someone else..." his voice trailed off, and Anders looked over to Kara to see her reaction. She was starting to get angry, but she didn't say anything. Probably because she knew it was true. Anders knew she wouldn't stay though. He knew that it would be uncomfortable if she did. He was always playing second fiddle to Apollo, so he was used to it by now - why would this time be any different?

"When we leave this sector, I'll rest. But last time I checked, the Admiral wasn't ready to leave," Kara spit out, angry that this was even up for discussion with Doc Cottle.

"No, the Admiral isn't ready to leave, but he needs a word with the CAG."Adama had walked in unnoticed by everyone in the room, and that was hard for Admiral Adama to do. His presence was always made known on his ship.

"I'll be back by soon," Starbuck said glaring at Cottle, and offering a weak smile to Anders, as she turned to follow Adama out of the room. "Any news sir?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

"Not yet, Starbuck," he said quietly. The last 57 hours had been extremely hard on him. Punching the President of the Colonies had made everyone else realize that.

"Sir, you can't pull me from this SAR, you can't." She was going to do whatever it took.

"I can... but I won't," he replied. "Kara, I know that you and Lee are... close... very good friends, and I know that you need to be a part of this mission, but..." Kara wasn't sure what was going next, but she braced herself for the worst. "You need to be taking care of yourself too. It will not do this fleet any good to lose you, if..." but he couldn't finish. His voice cracked, but he cleared his throat and continued. "No more solo flying - take someone with you this time. The search will go better with an ECO."

Starbuck thought about what he said as he walked down the hallway. _I know that you and Lee are... close... very good friends, _replayed over and over in her mind. Hell, if she couldn't define what was between her and Lee, how could she expect Adama to? She started off for the hanger deck again, thinking of who she could pull to do ECO duty with her, when she smacked straight into Lt. Dualla. This walkway was the last place she expected to see Dualla - she was returning from the hanger deck.

"Sorry," Starbuck mumbled as she stepped back. There was a long pause that added to the uncomfortable silence already present. "I was just heading back to the deck to... you know..."

"Yeah," Dee nodded. "I was just checking com logs, and giving the other Raptor pilots their sector points to plot. "Kara could see the worry in her face.

"Yeah - _the pilots_ are working hard," Kara declared, with an extra bit of attitude thrown in.

"I hope your _husband_ is feeling better soon," Dee replied, throwing her own comment in Starbuck's face. Dee wasn't about to take her crap, and she made that perfectly clear. Starbuck's eyes widen in shock that Dee had thrown something back in her face. Now it was her turn to get into her face.

"Is there a problem Lieutenant?" yelled Starbuck, but before it could go any further, a woman stepped between them.

"Ladies, I think that we have other things we should be doing right now," she said calmly, gently pushing the two ladies apart. "This doesn't help anyone's situation, especially Commander Apollo's." No matter how many times she spoke to Lee Adama, his call sign was always part of his title. It had been Captain Apollo when they had first met, and now, it was Commander. In her mind, it was unacceptable to not declare his call sign when referring to him, and now he was missing, and that was also unacceptable.

Kara glanced over at Dee. She really cared about Lee, and Kara instantly regretted the negativity she had thrown at Lee in the past about his relationship with Dee. Lee might not have cared for her relationship with Anders, but he did respect it... at some level. Kara couldn't say the same, until that very moment. They were united under a common goal; both wanted him back - alive. The drama could wait until then.

"Right," said Kara, trying to think of something to say. The best she could come up with at that moment was a simple, "well, I better get back to it..." she trailed off, and turned back to the hanger deck.

Roslin turned to watch her walk away, and glanced back over to Dee.

"Good luck, Starbuck, "was all that Dee could say to the woman she knew had a hold on Apollo. This stopped Starbuck in her tracks, but she didn't turn back. She paused, then continued on, zipping up her flight suit and getting ready to go.

The chief had gotten her ship ready as promised.

"Who's not already out, chief? I need an ECO, "but as she started to climb in, she heard Racetrack shout her name.

"Starbuck!" she shouted, running over to her, trying to catch her before she left for another round of searching. "I've been trying to catch you. There's a package for you, highest priority." Racetrack was holding out a small box, contents unknown. The box had her name on it: _Capt. K Thrace, New Caprica._

"What is it?" she asked.

"No clue, Captain," she said, "all I know is that it was put on the transport to New Caprica, but the Cylons arrived before I could run it down with the other supplies. "Chief Tyrol tossed Racetrack her helmet, and she turned to leave for her own Raptor, ready to help with the search.

Kara had no idea what it could be. Who was going to send her a package? Curiosity got the better of her as she opened the box. Inside was a small bottle of pills with a note that read, _Ask Doc Cottle for prescription instructions._

Next: Chapter 12 - Particle's Choice


	13. Particle's Choice

_Quick Note: Sorry about the long delay in updating. For a while I wasn't able to get onto and then it was long hours at work, and then it was tornados... one thing right after the other. I promise that it won't be that long until the next chapter. I already have some of it written, and I already have two of the other chapters done. As always, I would greatly appreciate any ideas or suggestions... I don't even know if anyone is even reading this, but I still enjoying writing it! I'd appreciate all feedback that I could get - positive or negative! Special thanks to: angry penguin, starbuck042786, JAT.NJ,_ _Aliajacta, dgainey2003, and ladykoons,_ _who have been most helpful!_

**Chapter 13 – Particle's Choice**

Apollo and Particle had both drawn their side arms and were positioning themselves to watch for any appearing figures from the wooded area. The others were huddled in the back of the Raptor, muttering words like "Cylons? Where, what the frack is going on? Simon did what? Where's D'Anna? Who is doing what? Where's Negalla?" Dent was trying to fill in the blanks for them, but there was only so much he understood himself, and once he revealed one piece of information, twenty other questions popped into mind in the others' heads. Rena had carefully wrapped Particle's burnt arm, and noticed his hand was shaking, mostly from the side effects of the burn, but also from the nerves that he felt hoping Cass was still alive, and that they would really make it off this planet.

"What's the plan now?" asked Rena quietly, still tending to Particle, who wasn't in the best shape right now. This revelation had hit them like a ton of bricks.

"We wait until Cass gets back, then we go," replied Apollo, searching the horizon for any sign on Meg or the Cylons. He glanced over at Particle, who returned the look, and then scanned the perimeter himself. He knew that her chances weren't good, but he knew that she was one of the gutsiest people he'd ever met, and if there were a way to pull it off, she'd do it. In that sense, she reminded him of Starbuck. Starbuck… Lee pushed the thoughts of Kara Thrace to the back of his head, he didn't have time for them now. He constantly found himself pushing thoughts of Kara out of his mind. _This isn't the time-later_ he thought.

"We sit here and wait for her? Two Cylons were chasing her! She's dead!" shouted Dent in disbelief; and with that, Particle snapped.

"Don't you dare say that! If it wasn't for her, we'd be dead and this ship wouldn't be able to fly!" He was furious, and he was worried. What was taking her so long? She had to get back - he wasn't going to leave without her. He had a feeling that Apollo would agree with him. When Meg and him talked about the Colonial Fleet and the past, his name had been mentioned. Particle understood where she and Apollo were coming from - influential parents that were high profile. Particle's parents had both been politicians, while Negalla was the Admiral's daughter, and Adama was the commander's son. Particle had once considered leaving the military when his time was up, but Meg Negalla had talked him into sticking it out a little longer. Something about adventure... who knew that the adventure was the one they were currently facing?

"We stay until we know for certain, either way," Apollo said quietly, his gun still trained on the perimeter, ready for anything. He wasn't going to give up on Meg Negalla a second time. He owed her more than that.

Just as Particle's mind started to fear the worst, he heard someone approaching rapidly. He anxiously scanned the area – if it was the Cylons, he was ready. All of a sudden, Cassiopeia was jetting towards them, full speed, gasping for air.

"Where… where… are they…!" she yelled, finally coming to a stop a mere two yards from them, desperately trying to catch her breathe. Particle could tell she was exhausted – she had been running for dear life from the Cylons for the last twenty minutes.

"You don't know?" asked a nervous Particle. "I thought they were chasing you!"

"Lost 'em… about a mile back," she panted, still gasping for air. Apollo reached out to here, to help her regain her footing as she stood up from her stooped down position. "I figured they were headed here - I didn't want to lead them back to you, but when I realized they weren't on my six anymore they must have been on their way back here knowing something was going on... You haven't seen them?" What the hell was going on? What where the Cylons planning?

"Haven't seen them, and don't care to - " Particle said holstering his sidearm, and turning back to the Raptor. "Ships ready when you are."

"Let's get the frack out of here!" shouted Dent, not wanting to debate this anymore, as Rena boarded the ship and Particle walked over to start launch prep. Particle turned back nervously when he realized that neither Apollo nor Cassiopeia had moved from their position.

"Come on!" shouted Dent again, wondering why they hadn't left yet. Cass and Apollo's eyes were locked on each other intently trying to play through all possible scenarios.

"They must have let me go for a reason..."said Cassiopeia. "That's the only explanation. I figured they were going to stop you, but they aren't here...yet…" her voice trailed off.

"Exactly, they aren't here, and we've got an open window to leave," suggested Particle, but Cass and Apollo weren't buying it.

"They can track us after we leave the planet," Apollo realized. The more Cassiopeia thought of this stupid game of being a Cylon lab experiment, the sicker she felt inside. "They're letting us go because they know they can find us later."

"How could they possibly track us?" suggested Particle. "We shouldn't wait around to find out." He had no intention of being anywhere near the Cylons again today – he'd had enough.

"You have to have a satellite or something to produce a communications signal, right?" asked Cortley stepping out of the Raptor and walking over to Apollo and Cassiopeia. Apollo nodded, not sure where he was going with this. "Back on Gemenon, we worked on a project for the Colonial fleet to map out systems en route to the Cylon home world. Our communications systems went out once, but we kept trying to contact the other ships, over and over again. When they came back online, fleet headquarters was furious and cancelled the project – everything we tried to say really got through – to the wrong people. We just couldn't hear them back. When Cassiopeia tried the signal when we first crashed, we discovered the transponder was dead – we thought no signal could get out – but we weren't in Colonial Fleet range anymore. What if the signal got out and the Cylons are waiting in orbit?"

"Simon used to spend a lot of time around the downed Raptor," said a curious Silverton. "What if they could hear him, but he couldn't hear them back? All he has to do is give frequent updates. Then they would know everything about us…" This was all starting to make sense – _and I don't know the half of it_, he thought.

"Frack!" swore Cassiopeia. "He's been contacting his superiors, letting them know what was going on this whole time. It's a safe bet that they know where we are – that's why they let me go. They know every detail of what we've been through."

"He's probably been in contact this whole time." Cortley thought out loud.

"Everyone's set to go," insisted Dent, not happy that the pilots were changing the plan. Why couldn't they just stick to leaving and be done with it. They didn't know for sure if the Cylons would be able to follow them.

"We can't leave – we have to finish this."

"What!" asked Dent, not understanding why she was so willing to stay and face the Cylons.

"They know too much!" yelled Cassiopeia. She was sick of Dent questioning her every move. This wasn't the pyramid court – this wasn't a game – it was life or death.

"There could be Cylons up there waiting for us," Silverton offered. "You want to rush into that? Not my idea of fun."

"That's a possibility, but even if there aren't, there are still two Cylons here on this planet, and two less Cylons on this planet is two less Cylons everywhere," stated Apollo. They had to see this through.

"He's right," Cassiopeia agreed.

"Are you out of your frackin' mind! Let's get the hell out of here!" Dent couldn't believe this was even up for discussion.

"Either way, we've got a fight ahead of us," shouted Particle. "We might as well take out as many toaster's as we can..."

"So what's the plan?" asked Cassiopeia, looking over to Apollo, who had a few ideas already set. Off in the distance, Cassiopeia could hear what sounded like the approach of machine like footsteps – Centurions.

"Centurions!" Particle yelled, in a hushed tone.

"Okay…" said Apollo, as he looked at the others, trying to figure out what they could do. "We've only got two rounds of ammo…"

"Remember improvisation training at war college?" asked Cassiopeia. Apollo nodded.

"Electric pulse generators saved my life during the initial attacks," _you never know what could come in handy_, he thought.

"Work with what you've got, right?" maybe she was onto something. She motioned over to the fire pit, with a small crackling fire still visible. "It's not much, but…"

"Get to it," Apollo smiled. It was better than nothing.

"Dent, you play pyramid, you've got an arm – over here – now!" she told him, as they repositioned themselves over by the fire, with a stack of large stones, while Rena and Silverton ducked behind the Raptor, Cortley gathered fire wood, and Particle and Apollo took position up front.

"Remember, they can't get to the Raptor – it's our only way out of here," Particle reminded the others, as the Cylons got closer and closer. Cass looked up over the rock wall to see that Simon was walking with the Centurions – leading them right to them. But where was D'Anna?

"Don't fire, until you hear my command," ordered Apollo, as he turned back to survey the targets again. Taking deep breathes, he realized this was going to be worse than trying to escape Pegasus as it went down towards New Caprica. The Centurions and Simon were less than 20 yards away when the Apollo made the call, "Fire!"

Everything went crazy at once – the Colonials fired, then the Centurions started, then it was continuous. This wasn't going to be good. Cassiopeia had opened up the emergency med kits that contained flammable medications, and she and Dent were throwing everything they could at them, using the fire and meds as miniature bombs. If they had more resources it would have been more successful, but still it was helping with some cover at least. Particle had already gotten a few Centurions, while Apollo had already taken out Simon and some Centurions of his own. What was only minutes seemed like hours to Cassiopeia as they all fought so desperately.

Everything started feeling like slow motion – like no matter what they did, the weight of everything was on their shoulders. Cassiopeia suddenly realized that they were only focusing on one side of the battle front. As Dent threw their last makeshift bomb, she turned to find D'Anna coming straight for them and the Raptor. Not even thinking, Cassiopeia jumped up, and took at swing right at D'Anna's face, only to have D'Anna kick her in the ribs. _Crack_ she felt, doubling over in pain.

"You didn't forget about me, did you Negalla?" goaded D'Anna.

Cass lunged for her and grabbed D'Anna's legs, causing her to topple over after losing her footing. Cassiopeia's repeated attempts at swinging punches often caught open air, but every once in awhile she connected with D'Anna's stomach or face.

"Not bad Negalla, is that all you've got?" she continued, as D'Anna grabbed her arm, and swung her around before slamming her down onto the ground. _Crunch_, there went another rib or two, maybe her shoulder was dislocated, she thought trying to push past the pain. Cassiopeia couldn't tell, and she didn't have time to survey herself – she was busy fighting through the pain to get to D'Anna, and stop her. She was trying to get to the Raptor – and there was no way that Cassiopeia would let that happen. As she tried to pick herself up off the ground, Cass could see D'Anna out of the corner of her eye – she was walking towards the Raptor – it was now or never. Cass grabbed the last piece of wood from nearby the fire and chunked it D'Anna with everything she had in her – causing D'Anna to stumble enough that Cassiopeia was right there on her again. With every last bit of energy she had in her, Cassiopeia slammed D'Anna into a tree positioned only a few yards away, before she saw a Centurion take aim at her. With only a second to react, she jumped out of the way just in time, before Apollo could take out the Centurion.

"You're really starting to annoy me, Negalla," insisted D'Anna, as she reached over to a fallen down Cassiopeia and kicked her in the stomach again. Cassiopeia tried to roll away to buy herself some time. "You misunderstand, I'll keep you alive – but you'll have to stay here. I need the Raptor."

"That's something I can let you have," Cassiopeia spit out, and landed a kick square on D'Anna's chest, before clocking her right on the jaw. Cassiopeia stumbled herself. After her near marathon sprint back to the camp, she wasn't ready for a fight this physical, but she had no choice. Not seeing it coming, D'Anna threw a lose piece of wood at Cassiopeia, knocking her upside her head, and causing her to fall. As she landed, Cass's hand fell conveniently on a rock, just to her side.

"After two years, I know your reaction to every situation, Negalla. You can't possibly beat me," D'Anna continued provoking Cassiopeia on every possible level. "All of this has happened before, and all of it will happen again," she said with another swift kick to Cassiopeia's shoulder. "You can't see that your destiny's already written. Each of us plays a role, and your role is to stay here, and if you can't accept that as your role, then you're going to die." Cassiopeia grabbed the rock and in an instant had nearly shattered it into the side of D'Anna's face.

"I think you misinterpreted my destiny…bitch…" Cassiopeia tried with all her might to pull herself up. She had preoccupied herself so much with the struggle and D'Anna that she had no idea what was going on with the others. The shooting had died down, and it was eerily quiet. As she turned to survey the damage, her eyes fell on Silverton's motionless body. He was dead.

"Sit rep!" shouted Particle, who was still ducted behind a tree stump, trying to catch his breath. He saw Rena with a med kit attempting to stop the blood that was pouring out of Den's arm.

"Dent's been shot, not life threatening… yet…" Rena replied nervously, not wanting Dent to worry. Apollo approached them to survey the damage.

"You probably won't be playing Pyramid anytime soon," noted Apollo, as he took a look at the wound himself. He took at quick look at the others to make sure there weren't anymore serious injuries. Cassiopeia looked beat up, but she'd survive. And then there was Silverton.

"We lost Silverton…" mumbled Cortley, as Rena turned to look at Silverton's lifeless body. Rena had never faced death like this before, or anything similar to this situation. The thought of it all overwhelmed her, as she sat quietly down next to Silverton and closed his eyes.

The simple act caused them all to be too distracted to not see the Centurion slowly and quietly moving his arm. Cassiopeia was standing in direct line of the main power controls on the Raptor – the Centurion's target. When the Centurion raised his weapon, Apollo noticed, and took aim at the machine, but it was too late – he had already fired his weapon, before Apollo shot him dead.

Particle had less than a second to react – diving at Cassiopeia to push her out of the way. They landed on the ground with a thud. Cassiopeia looked up to see Particle's smiling face.

"Meg…" and then it faded.

"NO!" screamed Cassiopeia desperately. The last thing Jon Carlisle heard was Meg Negalla's scream. He was dead.

Next Chapter: 14 – Are We There Yet?


	14. Are We There Yet?

**Chapter 14 – Are We There Yet?**

"Cutting climate control systems… now…this isn't going to be pleasant," Cassiopeia announced to the weary travelers, as they all groaned out loud. Apollo stripped off the top part of his flight suit, as the others shifted in the back to be a little more comfortable, even though comfort wasn't really an option just now. Michael Dent was still bleeding off and on from his gunshot wound in his arm. No one really had any medical expertise; Rena did her best to help him, and make him less aware of the pain, but there wasn't much she could do. None of them were really in good spirits. They'd lost two of their own. Particle and Silverton.

Apollo seriously had his doubts when they fired up the thrusters to take off. They had improvised quite a bit to get the ship off the ground. The passengers didn't really think they would make it after takeoff either, but they had fought against the odds before. They had been lucky and avoided any further Cylon contact – the Cylons were either on the other side of the system, or they were on their way and hadn't gotten there yet. Or they had let them go.

Cassiopeia peeled off the top part of her flight suit, pushing it down to her waist, and shifting in her seat. Apollo noticed a piece of paper had fallen out of Cassiopeia's flight suit jacket. It was a picture of her and Particle, apparently taken on the Solaria where they had been stationed together for a few months. Looking at the picture, Apollo could tell it was the Solaria based on the background. He reached down to pick it up for her, and she took it, pausing with it in her hand, clearly emotional. Apollo kindly took her hand, looked her square in the eye, then nodded. Nothing needed to be said, there really wasn't anything to say.

Cassiopeia was quick to rationalize in her head that maybe they would be joining Particle soon. Right now they were randomly drifting in space. She finally turned her attention back to the control panel in front of her - they were going to have to cut air systems in order to make their oxygen and life support systems last longer. They had made one Raptor jump almost immediately after takeoff, in case the Cylons were in the system. They didn't want to have them close in on them shortly after takeoff. Hopefully the jump had been in the right direction of the Colonial Fleet, but there really was no way to tell. They didn't have much longer, and the passengers were all losing faith. Apollo caught a glimpse of a sobbing Rena in the back of the Raptor.

"We're all gonna die," whispered Rena under her breathe, about to break. She was staring off into the floor of the Raptor, while the others looked over at her tensely.

"Don't say that…" barked Cortley. He was trying to remain positive, but he was having a hard time trying to convince himself that they were going to get out of this.

Apollo didn't want to argue with them. He was still "new" to the group, and didn't really know any of them, but he did know that they had been in a desperate situation for the last two years, and it had become even more desperate in the last two days.

"Meg?" Apollo asked looking at her, watching her stare off at the controls she was working out of habit. Cassiopeia's thoughts kept taking her back to the moment when Particle jumped in front of the bullet that was intended for her. Somehow, Apollo knew exactly what she was thinking. "Meg?" She still wasn't responding. "Lieutenant Negalla." That did it, she snapped out of it and turned to his attention. "It wasn't your fault, Meg," he tried to reassure her.

"It should have been me – not Particle. Why did he have to be the damn hero?" she muttered, before turning her attention back to the control in front of her.

"We lost two very courageous men today, and right now, the only thing that we can do to honor their memory is to continue what we're doing – surviving, and trying to find home," assured Apollo, who raised his voice loud enough for everyone in the group to hear him.

"Home…" thought Cassiopeia, a concept she hadn't had much time to think about. What was her home now? Her apartment just off base at fleet headquarters on Caprica was gone, her childhood home on Picon was destroyed, her father's Battlestar, the Atlantia, was gone, and the tent she lived in for the last two years was on that gods-awful planet they'd just vacated. But Apollo was right, they had to get through this, or Particle and Silverton's sacrifice would be for nothing. Apollo's words caught her off guard, and she realized that she was being stupid – this wasn't her. Cassiopeia was a pilot in the Colonial fleet, and she was not going to die out here in the cold vastness of space.

"Anything on Dradis?" Cassiopeia asked Cortley, who had positioned himself back in the ECO seat. Cortley, who served as an official geographer and map expert for the Colonial fleet before his disappearance was the best qualified to sit back there after Apollo and Cassiopeia, and he had handled the job perfectly, so far.

"Nothing but wide open space," he replied, still searching the screen. "I've been running scans and searches over and over again, but I still think that this was the most promising jump plot than all of our other options."

"How much longer do we have?" asked Rena, near tears, as she continued to tend to Dent in the back of the Raptor. Apollo glanced over at the clock – they had been out for roughly two hours.

"A couple of hours…" he replied somberly, exchanging worried glances with Cassiopeia. They needed a distraction, to get their situation off the minds of the others. All they were doing was panicking, and that wasn't helping anyone. "Hey Cass, you remember that time we were at the banquet on Tauron and you got thrown out of the casino?" he asked with a smile on his face. Cassiopeia had a puzzled look on her face, until she realized what Apollo was doing. Cortley froze with a smile on his face.

"Wait, wait, wait… You mean to tell me, Lieutenant "By The Book" Negalla, has a wild side?" Cortley asked, shocked that Apollo would even suggest it.

"Last time I checked, Meg Negalla didn't even read _the book_, let alone follow it," teased Apollo. It made him think back to all those times that Starbuck had given him crap about paying to close attention to the rules. Cortley, Dent, and Rena were just like Starbuck – they didn't realize that sometimes in desperate situations, the rules change, and you have to refer back to the basics.

"I seem to remember you being the reason I got thrown out of the casino in the first place, but two can play this game. What about that girl you met on Virgon? That caused quite a scene." This was what the colonial fleet knew as a distraction, Cassiopeia thought to herself.

"How was I supposed to know whose daughter she was," he asked, with fake innocence in his voice.

"You disappeared and showed up a week later with our flight instructors daughter!" she laughed.

"That was a while ago…" he laughed.

"I have a fuel line light on back here," said Cortley worried, reluctantly letting Apollo know. He didn't really want to tell the others, but without a flight suit and com link there was no way around it. None of them had helmets, Particle and Cassiopeia's original helmets were no good anymore, and Apollo's was damaged in his crash.

"We have enough tylium for one more jump back to the planet if worse comes to worse," she announced looking back at Dent, after she checked the line herself. She continued more quietly with the others out of earshot, "but he won't make it if we don't get him to the fleet," she motioned to Dent, leaning back on Rena. Cortley came up behind her, handing Apollo a chart of where he had scanned the area. It was scribbled on the back of an old copy of the Scorpia Today Magazine.

"We're going to find the fleet, we just can't give up," said Cortley, who offered a reluctant smile. Apollo nodded in agreement. They had been through hell that day, and it was really starting to show. Cassiopeia was a wreck, with cuts and bruises all over, clearly showing the details of her struggle with D'Anna, and the others were showing signs of wear and tear as well, from their attempts to hold of the centurions. They needed something to lighten them up. Apollo teasing Cassiopeia about the casino incident had taken their minds off the situation, at least for a minute or two. They needed to keep it up. Apollo thought quickly as he worked to deploy the last communications pod – this was their only chance to communicate with the outside world other than their signal light. Their only hope was for someone to stumble upon the communications pod and realize that they were out there and looking for the fleet. Hopefully, the Cylons wouldn't find it first.

"Everyone has stories. Anyone got any good ones?" Apollo asked the rest of the group.

"Stories we _haven't_ heard?" Rena asked looking over at Cortley, who was about to speak until Rena cut him off. He just rolled his eyes at her.

"This one pyramid match…" offered Dent, to everyone's surprise he was still awake, and listening intently to every word, helping form a distraction in his mind. "It was a game against the Caprica Buccaneers…we played so poorly, until the very end, that Anders guy that plays for them didn't know what was coming…"

When Lee heard Anders name, he froze. It immediately took his mind to thoughts of Kara – she was Kara Anders now. Well, not in name, because she insisted on keeping Thrace, like he figured she would, but they were married nonetheless. Anders had been the reason that she was down on New Caprica. Anders was the reason there was no more Starbuck and Apollo. Anders had been the reason that they weren't working together anymore. Anders… He was a decent guy, Lee thought, but he wasn't the right one for Kara. He just didn't understand why Kara had picked him, why she had married him, why she'd left the fleet. There was just nothing that could be said or done for it to make sense at all. He hadn't talked to Kara in forever, and when they did talk it wasn't good. They were horrible to each other. Not like before, when they could fight, then make up and be friends. Now, the fights were angrier, less forgiving, and never involved a make-up or apology. Everything just kept adding up. Instead of laying down their burdens, they were piling them on.

"…all of a sudden, K-Man got a hot hand and went to town – his shot sucked all night, but then he just played the best game ever. We ended up winning and took them out of the race for the championship," said Dent proudly. "Best match we ever played."

"I've been thinking…" started Cassiopeia, causing Apollo to snap out of it. She was whispering quietly to Apollo, while the others continued their stories of the good old days in the back. "There's a reason they did what they did. To learn our every move and analyze our lives," she continued. "I mean think about it – there's got to be a reason they aren't already on top of us."

"Well, if Simon and D'Anna went and got the centurions after you distracted them from the rest of us, maybe they got a signal off to someone telling them what was going on," offered Apollo.

"But I thought they were using the Raptor to communicate – outbound signals only, remember?" she asked him curiously.

"Maybe the centurions were already there. Maybe they had been there the whole time, just waiting on a signal from D'Anna and Simon?" suggested Apollo.

"I have something on Dradis!" shouted Cortley in shock, and cutting off Dent's story in the process. I don't know what it is, but it's big – has to be a Battlestar!" Rena scrambled to the window to look out, while Apollo and Cassiopeia searched the skies for any clue of what it was.

"Thank the gods," cried Dent, relieved that the pain would all be over soon.

"We need a visual… anyone?" Cassiopeia asked. She wasn't about to get ahead of herself, this could be anything, and she didn't want to chance it.

"Nothing…" said Apollo, until he caught sight of the object – with it's sharp features. "Wait." Directly in front of them was a cylon basestar, with Raiders closing in…

Next Chapter: 15 – Tracking the Experiment


	15. Tracking the Experiment

Disclaimer - Still don't own anything. Except what is mine!

**Chapter 15 – Tracking The Experiment**

"That's a – " started Cassiopeia in shock, but she was cut off before she could finish.

"Basestar," Apollo finished for her.

"What do we do now!" shouted Cortley as he rushed up to the cockpit to see for himself what was just confirmed on Dradis.

"We should have just stayed put," Rena cried, clutching onto Dent, who was only half conscious at this point, his injury continually worsening.

"We've got incoming Raiders – we've got 4… no 6,7… 7 confirmed raiders incoming!" yelled Cassiopeia. "Three minutes out! Any ideas?" she asked Apollo.

"I haven't gotten that far, yet," Apollo replied, starting to tense up.

"How the hell did they find us?" asked Cortley. "We scanned the sector – nothing was there after takeoff!" This was the worse case scenario, and no matter how many times they prepared themselves for it, they never imagined they would have to face it. Their time was just about up.

"We'll worry about how they found us later," said Apollo, trying to pilot the Raptor away from the impending Raiders at sub-light speed.

"A more pressing issue is just exactly how are we going to get out of this one," said Cassiopeia, as she looked over at Apollo who all of a sudden was distracted by a signal light on the controls in front of him, and the alarm that accompanied it. "What is it?"

"Not sure yet," he replied trying to decipher exactly what he had just discovered.

"Get us out of here!" shouted Cortley as he watched the Dradis in panic. They were dead if they didn't do something fast. "Let's make the jump!"

"Can you plot it in two minutes? Cause that's all we have, if that!" yelled Cassiopeia.

"Cass! Take the stick," shouted Apollo, as he jumped out of his seat, and walked over to Cortley's station. In less than two minute the Raiders were going to be on top of them.

"If we make the jump back to the planet, that's it then, isn't it?" asked a somber Dent looking up at Apollo. He knew that if they didn't make it back to the fleet, his chances weren't very good. The bleeding still hadn't stopped, and his energy was completely drained. Shock was about to set in. If not for the determined look that Apollo and Cassiopeia shared, he would have given up all ready.

"We don't have enough tylium; we can only make one jump." reminded Apollo. "If we jump back to that planet, that's it. It's over." _Unless my plan is going to work_, he thought, but he wasn't ready to give anyone false hope. He was going to see if it was even a possibility before he said something, even to Cassiopeia.

"Here they come!" shouted Cass from the pilots seat. The Raiders were seconds away, and they weren't messing around.

"Buy me some time, Cass," he ordered as he took the controls from Cortley and worked as quickly as he could.

"Easy for you to say – this would be so much easier in a Viper – at least they have some maneuverability!" she shouted from the cockpit. "Hold on!"

"Now's the time to offer a prayer to the gods," Apollo said, as he offered one up for all of them. Never one who was particularly religious, Apollo prayed that just this once he would be heard. A quick blast to the side of the Raptor told them that they were goners, but Cassiopeia had managed to drop the ship just out of a Raiders range at the last second before a second blast had winged them.

"Kryptor, kryptor, kryptor – ah! What the hell am I doing! No one can hear me!" she griped to herself when she realized that they didn't have any communication, and that they never had. No use in sending out a distress signal. "Lee!" she shouted, desperately. Within seconds, he was back in the seat, and setting controls as quickly as he could.

"Stand by to jump!" he shouted back to the passengers.

"What!" shouted Rena and Cortley at the same time. Dent just closed his eyes tight, thinking this was the end for him. Cassiopeia nervously looked over at Apollo, who looked nervous himself.

"Execute jump," he commanded, as he took a deep breath.

As soon as the Raptor appeared on the other side of the jump, Cassiopeia and Apollo shrieked. Only yards away flew a Colonial issued Viper. If Cassiopeia hadn't reacted immediately and dropped the Raptor as fast as she could, they would have crashed.

Hot Dog thought he was a goner. With only a second to react, a Colonial issued Raptor had appeared yards away from his location. He pulled up as fast as he could, with all the strength that he had, and just barely got away with it.

"Dradis contact!" shouted Dee, as she caught sight of the Raptor on Dradis, aboard the Galactica.

"Set condition one throughout the fleet," ordered Adama, as he came over to where Dee was standing to see for himself what exactly they had.

"Launch alert fighters," ordered Tigh.

"This is Major Kelly, launch alert fighter," ordered Major Kelly on the comms.

"Hot Dog, Starbuck, you okay over there?" asked Starbuck over the wireless.

"That frackin' Raptor almost turned me into space debris!" he shouted trying to get calmed down after his near death experience.

"Galactica, Starbuck, where the frack did that Raptor come from!" demanded Starbuck, worried about her pilot who had just narrowly escaped his fate.

"Commander, Starbuck confirms it's a Raptor, sir." Dee tensed up. _Could this be Apollo's long lost Pegasus Raptor? No, she thought to herself, there's no way he could have survived this long without a replenished oxygen supply. This wasn't him, _she thought sadly.

"Friendly?" asked Tigh, who was standing next to Adama, peering over his shoulder.

"Confirm that," commanded Adama, wanting clear confirmation.

The Raptor passengers were beside themselves with relief.

"Galactica!" Cassiopeia cried in relief. "Thank the gods!" she shouted as Rena, Cortley, and Dent sighed with relief and hugged each other. This was exactly what they needed.

"It worked," stated Apollo, who offered a arrogant grin at Cassiopeia.

"What the hell did you do!" she asked, not really caring what the answer was, because it worked, even through their near death experience. She reached over and punched him in the shoulder. "You could have frackin' killed us! We almost crashed into a frackin' Viper moron!" All Apollo could do was laugh. It had been a close call; almost as close as it had been back standing toe to toe with the Basestar and Cylon Raiders. Cass looked up to observe the incoming alert fighters. "We have incoming alert vipers – we have to let them know it's us."

"Get on the signal light – pass the word – Kryptor, kryptor, kryptor, Colonial Raptor 573, Commander Adama aboard," ordered Apollo.

"Sir, the ship doesn't seem to have any signals coming from its general direction," reported Dee, curiously trying to decipher exactly what that meant.

"Sir, it's Sharon!" shouted Helo, racing into the CIC.

"Not now, Lieutenant," replied an irritated Adama.

"Sir, it's about the Raptor that just appeared!" he insisted. "Sharon was send a signal from that Raptor."

"What?" asked Tigh, angry and curious at the same time.

"Sir, we hooked her up into the ships system to see if there was anyway the Cylons had a fix on Apollo's position, just like you requested Admiral. Before she detached from the system, she received a recognition code from a Colonial source," explained Helo.

"Galactica, Hot Dog, requesting to speak to actual," requested a smiling Hot Dog. This was impossible, he thought.

"Admiral, it's Hot Dog requesting to speak to actual," interrupted Dee.

"This is actual, go ahead Hot Dog," replied Adama.

"You're not going to believe this sir!" smiled Hot Dog.

Next: Chapter 16 – Raptor 573


	16. Raptor 573

Disclaimer: This universe belongs to RDM, not me. No money has been made... Darn it!

**Chapter 16 – Raptor 573**

"Racetrack, send a message to Raptor 573 by signal light. Tell them they have permission to land, I repeat, they have permission to land," reported Dee over the comm.

"Understood," replied Racetrack, proceeding with the request. Whoever was on the strange shuttle sure was getting the good treatment, granted they would be greeted by a full unit of Marines upon their landing, but Adama almost never gave permission for a out of the ordinary circumstance such as this.

"Hot Dog, Racetrack, who's on the shuttle?" she asked, wanting to know what exactly was going on. Were they supposed to be ready for anything? _Of course we're supposed to be ready for anything, she said, we're the last remains of the Colonial Fleet – and we got caught by the Cylons with our pants down while vacationing in New Caprica,_ she thought. _What the frack was going on? _

"I'm not at liberty to let you know just yet, Lieutenant. Sorry, Adama's orders," replied Hot Dog, certain that no one would believe him even if he tried to explain. "I can't even tell the CAG," which Kara really wasn't happy about.

"Galactica, Starbuck, what is this?" Kara asked, cursing under her breath. She was the CAG, it was her job to know who was on that shuttle.

"Bring the Raptor in, Starbuck," said Adama into the comm, that told her it wasn't up for debate.

"Permissions granted, to land in port side docking bay, hands on approach," Cassiopeia relayed to the others as she read the signal light Racetrack was flashing to her, a smile on her face. She could barely contain herself – _this was such a relief to be back with Colonials_, the thought. Then she saw Apollo's expression.

"Well, do you want the good news, or the bad news?" asked Apollo, looking over at Cass as she was starting to make her approach. She frowned, _this was going to be bad, _she thought.

"Well, since the obvious good news is that we were lucky enough to find the fleet, I'm going to have to ask for _the bad news_," said Cassiopeia, frustrated that her celebration was going to be short lived.

"You remember how I told you we have a Cylon aboard the Galactica?" he asked.

"Yeah, the eight model, right?" She already didn't like where this was going.

"I had a hunch that she would be tapped into the main ships systems on Galactica. We got lucky that she was. I sent an electronic signal to her from the Raptor. Since she's a cylon, she would have been able to pick it up, just like the signal that D'Anna and Simon were able to send out to make their reports," said Apollo.

"But, how – " started Cassiopeia, before Apollo cut her off by pointing to the signal light on his control panel.

"When the basestar appeared, they tapped into our ships systems. Because they had a connection, I figured so could Sharon. Somehow D'Anna and Simon wired a device to monitor everywhere we went. If we had jumped back to the planet, they would have gone there to get us back. If we found the fleet – " but Cass cut Apollo off.

"They'd be right behind us. Frack!" mumbled Cassiopeia, finishing Apollo's thought. "So any minute, this place is going to be crawling with Cylons…" she said depressingly. "I should have checked the ship again," she said angrily, knowing that they had not been careful enough.

"You mean this isn't over yet?" asked Rena, suddenly alarmed again.

"Not by a long shot," answered Apollo.

"How'd you know they'd have the Cylon connected to the ships systems?" asked Cortley curious. He didn't realize how lucky they had gotten. Sharon's security clearance was paper-thin – no one aboard Galactica trusted her except Helo, and even at times, he was scared about his faith in her. Call it love. Lee thought back to when Kara had gone missing, and Adama was forced by Roselin to cut off the search. He had asked his father what if it had been him. His father's reply echoed in his ears – _If it were you, we'd never leave. _Apollo didn't realize how true those words were until this very moment. Adama must have ordered Sharon to assist with the search of his son. Sharon had come through for them time and time again, especially with the liberation of New Caprica, why should this time be any different. Cortley, still curious for an answer, looked over to Cassiopeia, who spoke up for Apollo.

"Sometimes you have to roll the hard six," said Cassiopeia with a grin on her face. It was like she was reading his mind. "So, what's the plan, _Commander_?

"If the past is any indication of what's to come, it will take them 33 minutes to find us, before they arrive. We're going to have to allow the civilian ships in the fleet enough time to safely jump away," informed Apollo. Cassiopeia saw the uneasy expression on his face.

"There's something else, isn't there?" she asked, knowing she wouldn't like the answer.

"I have a theory," he said, pausing to collect his thoughts. "Remember back at the Academy, when we had to do that seminar on electrical system propagation?"

"Vaguely," she said with a frown.

"If that signal did what I think it did, it's sending out a continual broadcast, since Sharon was able to get to it, and the Cylons were able to get to it. Even if we destroy the signal on the Raptor, they still have the signal that reached Galactica through Sharon. They'll still be able to track us no matter where we go," he said.

"Well, at least we made it this far," said Cortley, unsure of what was next.

"Some of us," said Dent, his speech garbled due to the pain. "Please tell me you have a medic on board."

"We're almost there," informed Apollo, turning back to the controls as Cassiopeia guided them into the landing pod.

"That just means, our offensive is going to have to mean something," suggested Cassiopeia, glancing back at Cortley.

"Cortley, how long would it take you to plot out this sector?" asked Apollo.

"Ten minutes, give or take two or three," he said bluntly.

"You can tear up that flight manual, over there, get to it," ordered Apollo.

"Rena, when we get on board, I need you to find me a RCS socket splicer, someone on the deck will be able to help you with it," ordered Cassiopeia.

"I know what it is," stated Rena.

"You do?" asked Cassiopeia, stunned. Rena was more the kind to step back and let other people fix things for her, she wasn't really the take charge, 'I can do it' type.

"I dated a guy that worked on a power station a couple years ago. Sometimes you just pick stuff up," she said with a sigh. Cassiopeia was annoyed – this could have come in handy during their two year 'vacation' but there was no use in arguing about it now.

"You know what a electronic sub-jamming cable coil looks like too?" Cass asked hopefully. Rena nodded. "Good – find them both the second we land – _quickly_. If I can find the tracker, or the source, whichever, maybe I can rebroadcast the signal, but with incorrect coordinates. Your eight model should be able to help us with that." Apollo nodded.

"We still have to destroy the source before Sharon can change it. We don't want to take any chances. I'll get in touch with CIC and get Sharon down there. We've got to get the pilots in the briefing room. Time check?"

"If we going for the thirty-three minutes, then we've got…twenty-six," she said, checking her watch. "We have to move fast."

Word on the Galactica spread like a fire – Commander Adama was alive, and he was returning in the mysterious Raptor. Anders had heard that particular rumor upon his departure from his hospital bed. He made his way to the flight deck just to see if it were true, and knowing that Kara would be there.

"Sir, initial scans are in. Raptor 573 was assigned to the Atlantia…" her voice faded.

"The Atlantia?" repeated a shocked Col. Tigh. "That's impossible. The Atlantia was destroyed at Virgon."

"Dee, check into the systems, search for its last mission flight plan," asked Adama calmly waiting for her report. Dee got right to work.

"Two years ago, sir. A mission to the Priam sector, an outpost named Sparta," reported Dee. "Sir, according to Colonial Fleet records, Raptor 573 was destroyed during an FTL jump sequence en route to Sparta."

"Lt. Agathon, you have the com," stated Adama as he turned to Tigh. Col. Tigh didn't like the look of this one bit.

"Marines?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"Two units, on the flight deck," replied Adama. They couldn't afford to take any chances.

Starbuck and Hot Dog escorted the ship into the docking bay, with Racetrack bringing up the rear, all three also on guard for anything. Hot Dog was relieved to know that he wasn't going to have to keep his secret much longer – they would all see Commander Adama shortly, if it was in fact truly him.

Next: Chapter 17 – No Time To Explain


	17. No Time To Explain

**Chapter 17 – No Time To Explain**

With the final touch down on the landing pod, Cassiopeia let out a deep breathe – but she knew that this was far from over. As they were pulled into the docking bay, she glanced over at Apollo. He nodded to her; they knew what they had to do next. The basestar would have a lock on their position shortly. Apollo lifted the console and followed Cassiopeia over to the hatch, opening it, and rushing out, with the others close behind. They shuffled out quickly, knowing what they all had to do.

The group was greeted by a full force of Marines, checking to make sure they weren't Cylons in a stolen Raptor, since there was no record of Raptor 573 in the Colonial fleet anymore. Much to everyone's surprise, they were all startled to see Apollo.

"Apollo?" called out a shocked Tigh. "Weapons down!" He couldn't believe that he was still alive. Starbuck stood motionless, and could have sworn her heart stopped beating. She couldn't move, she couldn't speak, and she couldn't breath. She stood there, staring at his face, until a Rena ran past her frantically, and slammed into her shoulder to get by. Apparently she was in a hurry.

"I need a medic!" Cortley shouted; a medic immediately jumped up to him to help Dent in the Raptor.

"What's our time?" Apollo shouted back towards Cassiopeia, as he made his way over to the nearest console. He glanced down at his watch, as he picked up the comm.

"Twenty three minutes!" she shouted back. Cassiopeia was already underneath the Raptor pulling off the panel to search for the second tracker. "It's not here!"

"Try the back!" he yelled back.

Cortley had spread out his recently scribbled chart on the floor of the deck hanger as he frantically finished plotting the planned operation. Rena hurriedly searched the hanger deck for the splicer, much to the surprise of a confused deck crew.

"What is going on?" shouted a nervous Col. Tigh. Finally, Apollo had gotten through to the CIC. "Galactica, Apollo, requesting to speak to Actual." It was Dee. This wasn't how he wanted to break the news to her that he was back, and he immediately felt guilty. When Dee heard his voice, she almost fainted. Helo got to her in time to catch her after her abrupt step backwards, and responded to his call.

"Apollo?" he asked while recovering from his own shock, "the Admiral is on his way to the main hanger deck as we speak – with the President."

"Helo, I need you and Sharon down here too, ASAP," he said quickly.

"I'm on it, sir," Helo replied.

"And Helo – we have incoming within eighteen minutes," Apollo added to stress the importance of their situation.

Cassiopeia was on the move and now over by the back of the Raptor, pulling off another panel, and seeing the wired mess. Starbuck pulled her stare off of Apollo long enough to watch her like she was sizing up the competition. She noticed that the woman wore the traditional Viper pilot uniform, fleet issued tanks, flight suit, even her tags that were clinking together as she ran. And then Apollo was back by her side, and a tinge of jealousy came over Kara.

"What did you find?" asked Apollo, as he came back over to the Raptor while the Galactica crew continued to stand there in shock. They couldn't believe that the Commander was in fact alive and well.

"That we're lucky to have made it here alive," she said sarcastically as she pointed to the jumbled mess and burn marks from where the Cylons had hit them. "It could be anyone of these." She took a deep breath, and then turned to the Apollo and asked, "I can't see why we would, but I'll ask anyways; do we need this Raptor in the next day or two?" Apollo quickly glanced over to Tyrol, who was walking towards them, then shook his head no. "Good." With that, she reached in, picked a wire at random, and pulled it straight out. Sparks were flying, ship alarms were going off, and Chief Tyrol looked angry.

"Commander!" shouted Tyrol livid that they had just fried a ships system panel.

"I think you picked the right one, " said Apollo, noticing that the chief wasn't happy that they'd destroyed a Raptor in a matter of seconds, causing hours of work for his deck crew. And just when Tyrol thought it wouldn't get worse, Cassiopeia walked over to the hatch, took Apollo's discarded sidearm, and fired it into the control panel to shut off the ships alarm. Tyrol was furious.

"Lieutenant, do you mind telling me what the hell you're doing?" he asked outraged at the events that had just taken place.

"Fixing it," she answered, before turning back to him. "I thought you were still on the Solaria?" but she turned away before he could answer, "Rena!"

"You always manage to destroy my ships!" he said irritably. Apollo seemed surprised that Tyrol and Cass knew each other, but he shouldn't have- he knew the chief had worked on multiple Battlestars, so it figured that they would have met. Starbuck and Tigh continued to stare down the two pilots standing in front of them.

"We'll pull the main control systems out of this one tomorrow," said Apollo trying to smooth things over with the Chief regarding the Raptor.

"Here, this is all I could find…" said Rena, out of breath from running back with the part.

"This'll work," said Cassiopeia, who got to work right away, rewiring the panel, she'd just destroyed. "Where's the eight?"

"Right here," announced Sharon, as she was being led my four armed guards and Helo over to the Raptor, startling everyone in the hanger deck. Sharon still made the crew nervous, whenever she was around. Many of them still didn't want to rely on her help, but were forced to from time to time.

"The signal I sent to you to locate the fleet – it's still tracking us, isn't it?" said Apollo. For the first time since his father was shot, he felt like he was actually talking to Sharon Vallerii, or Boomer, his pilot. Sharon took one look at the jumbled mess that Cassiopeia was pointing to, and grabbed onto one of the wires. With just one quick look, she knew he was right.

"You're right," replied Sharon, as she searched through the mess in front of her. "But you're going to have to do more than delete the signal."

"That's why I'm rerouting it," stated Cassiopeia, still not sure if that would be enough.

"You're going to have to destroy the carrier. I can tell you which ship is the carrier once they come into orbit, but then you have to destroy it, otherwise, you'll they'll be with you every step of the way."

"Chief, I need your crew prepping all Vipers that can be manned – including one for myself – and one for Cass," he told Chief Tyrol. The chief got to it immediately.

"Me?" asked a stunned Cassiopeia.

"Lets move people, you heard the commander, go!" he shouted to his crew. They got to it immediately. Everyone was running in multiple directions to take their stations and get prepped for a mission they knew nothing about.

"You do still remember how to fly one of these things, don't you?" she took the bait and accepted his challenge.

"It might have been two years, but you don't seriously think that – " she started.

"Good," he said cutting her off; he knew she was ready. If what he'd seen in the Raptor were any preview, she would be back to form in a Viper, except that a Viper allowed you much more maneuverability, which was an added bonus – especially for what they were about to do.

"Who the hell are you?" demanded Col. Tigh regarding Cassiopeia. He had been studying her every move since she'd gotten off the ship, just like Starbuck had.

"Lt. Meg Negalla, call sign Cassiopeia," she saluted quickly, then glanced over at Apollo and rolled her eyes, clearly telling him that they didn't have time for this, before turning back to the Raptor.

"Admiral Negalla's-" But he was cut off.

"Admiral Negalla's daughter." Admiral Adama had arrived. Apollo and Cassiopeia both stopped dead in their tracks, exchanged looks, and turned back to see the man that was speaking walking towards them, with Gaius Baltar in tow.

"But she's supposed to be dead," stammered Tigh unsure of what exactly was going on.

"Apparently not," replied Adama.

Adama walked over to his son with a stern look on his face, and pulled him into a hug. Both men were emotional, but neither let it show. They were happy to see each other alive again, but knew that it was too soon to be thankful just yet. How many times would they believe that the other was dead? How many times would they have to go through this? They were both thinking the same thing, but with the added relief that at least it was over, however temporary, but at least over for now. He reached out and put an arm on Cassiopeia's shoulder.

"Welcome back to the colonial fleet, Lieutenant," he smiled at her. "You're father would be very proud of you." Cassiopeia smiled and nodded, as he pulled her into an embrace.

"Thank you sir," she said quietly.

"You mind telling me about the operation you've started?" he asked them.

"Sir, 19 minutes," interrupted a nervous Cassiopeia.

"We need pilots," replied Apollo, as he turned to Starbuck who was right next to Adama. Her eyes hadn't left Apollo since the moment he got back, and she had barely moved from her original position. She was too stunned to do anything.

"You're alive…" was all Starbuck could manage; she was in complete shock. Anders was standing next to her, somewhat protectively, with his hands on her shoulders. Lee could tell Kara was uncomfortable with the public display of affection.

"Have your pilots in the briefing room ASAP," he told her, before turning back towards Cassiopeia. To Starbuck, the statement had sounded cold, and uncaring.

"If we launch in 15, we'll meet them just as they come in orbit," stated Apollo trying to strategize with Cassiopeia. "How's the map coming?" he asked Cortley.

"Almost there – just need another minute," rushed a stressed out Cortley.

"I want answers, and I want them now!" shouted Baltar. Cass looked at him, and frowned. The others continued to ignore him. Apollo noticed that Starbuck had continued to stand there and stare. Apollo looked at her curiously, and their eyes met.

"Are you or are you not the CAG?" he asked in a tone that told her this was strictly business, but a look that told her _later, we'll talk about it later. _

"Yes sir," she quickly replied, and saluted. Kara didn't know why she did it, but she just did. She never saluted Lee unless he was angry, or she was trying to be a smartass, but this time it just happened. Anders looked angry – he knew that his wife was clearly jarred by the events of the last couple minutes, and it all had to do with Apollo. He was also mad that she had pulled away from him so quickly on Apollo's orders.

"Major Kelly, Starbuck – call for all pilots in the briefing room ASAP," she said, glancing back to see Apollo and Cassiopeia.

"Admiral!" shouted Baltar again, but Adama was not in the mood.

"Mr. President, I will be happy to inform you of what is going on when I myself am fully aware of the situation," and that satisfied Baltar enough to quiet down. He didn't want a repeat of their last heated conversation on the flight deck.

"Set condition one throughout the fleet – start jump prep for all civilian ships to the emergency coordinates," Apollo reported to his father and Col. Tigh. "We have incoming Cylon basestar and raiders within fifteen minutes." Tigh glanced over to Adama, who nodded, and with that Tigh got to work immediately.

"Rena, Cortley, this is Anders, he'll take you to the CIC where you all can have access to the comm channels. Cortley, you're going to be our eyes in the CIC." Cortley nodded, as he handed the finished chart to Apollo, who passed it to Cassiopeia. Then he spoke to Anders. "There was a man with us, Michael Dent, an Aquarian pyramid player – he's been injured. Check on him." Apollo nodded at Cortley and simply stated, "You know what to do." Before Anders could protest, Apollo moved on again, and turned back to Cassiopeia and Starbuck.

"Cass, this is Starbuck, Galactica's CAG. Cass will lead our briefing; I need you two to work together on the logistics. Sharon's with you. I'll join you shortly," he informed them as he turned to leave.

Yes, the plan was last minute, but it was going to work. It had to. Cassiopeia and Starbuck watched as Apollo left with Adama and Baltar.

"You have the layouts ready?" Cassiopeia asked Cortley.

"When we get up to CIC we'll double check it's accuracy and trajectory points," replied an extremely nervous Cortley, as he turned to follow Anders to the CIC.

"Double checking, that's comforting… get to it," she smiled to try to reassure them; although it wasn't really working just yet. They were nervous about being on the Battlestar in the first place. They were nervous about the other people in general – it had been two years since they had seen someone outside of their group of eight. Cassiopeia then turned to Starbuck. "I guess I'm following you."

Kara continued to wonder about the strange new lieutenant that was giving out orders. She obviously seemed close with Apollo. That had always been her position – the best friend, maybe some innocent flirting, and a joke here and there. Kara had known the woman less than ten minutes and already felt like she had been replaced.

"Cassiopeia? Call sign sounds familiar," mentioned a curious Kara, as they walked down the hallway towards the briefing room. Everyone around them was buzzing about the return of Apollo and the operation they were getting ready for that no one really knew about. Cassiopeia was eyeing the ship nervously as she walked the corridor. Memories came flooding back to her – the people, the ship, everything... she hadn't had this in two years. It was overwhelming.

"Test pilot at the base in Delphi," answered Meg. "I've heard your name mentioned a couple of times here and there, damned good pilot I hear."

Kara wanted to hate her, and she didn't really know why. Something told her that they were very similar.

Next: Chapter 18 – Reunion


	18. Reunion

Disclaimer – Same as always.

Notes: Somewhere along the way the chapters got mis-numbered when I type themat the top of the page, but it is in correct order on the fan fiction drop down menu, and you haven't missed anything - it's all been published up until this point.

Chapter 18 – Reunion

Meg Negalla wasn't sure what to think about Starbuck, the best pilot in the fleet. She had heard the name before a time or two back on Caprica - when Starbuck had been teaching. The teachers and the testers always had to watch out - they shared the same airspace. Lee had mentioned her once during this "ordeal" they had been going through, but the name didn't really register until it was discovered that she was the Galactica CAG. She surveyed Starbuck trying to figure out what exactly she was all about.

Kara had to remind herself to breath. She had been thrown into a tailspin when she had come face to face to Lee again. She couldn't believe that he had been found. She had hoped - but it had been a desperate hope. All signs had pointed to the fleet not being able to find him, yet somehow he had found them. She wanted him to wrap his arms around her and tell her that everything was okay, but she had been in for a rude awakening. He had arrived and immediately gotten to work - he was the hero of the fleet, and he had a job to do. Kara was still trying to figure out her place in all of this. What was she to Lee now? Friends? Acquaintances? She didn't know. She had so much to tell him, so much to hear about him, and no time to do it. She found herself walking down the busy hallway with a stranger, who it seemed had taken over her position as Apollo's partner, and she squared up the competition as they hurried to the pilot's briefing room. She was Admiral Negalla's daughter - just like Lee, she was the offspring of an important member of the fleet. She was sure they had bonded in the past. Probably had been friends. Then it hit her - she remembered a story she had heard of the Negalla girl - the Delphi Incident. She remembered that Cassiopeia had been a part of that mishap - with one of the students from the flight school.

"The Delphi Incident..." she said, as the memory finally came to her.

The sudden mention of Delphi caught Cassiopeia off guard – she knew exactly what she was referring to. She nodded. She had thought two years after the incident it would for sure be forgotten. "You were out on maneuvers, when one of the academy students lost control of their Viper and collided with your squadron. I still can't believe you walked away from that incident. It was a miracle."

_Some miracle, _thought Cassiopeia, who remembered the incident vividly. The student had lost his life - as did another one of the test pilots that was working with her. She had been lucky, but it had been devastating.

They followed along the corridor a few feet behind Sharon's security detail and Helo, as they made their way into the briefing room. It had been two years since Cassiopeia had found herself in this exact situation. She remembered reporting to her superior officers in the briefing room back on base shortly after being released from the hospital. She remembered one of the commanders suggesting a desk detail for her back on Caprica - maybe at the flight school; he insisted that her accident had shaken her up too much, and she'd lost her nerve in the cockpit. She hadn't. He thought he knew Cass - he thought he understood what had happened to her, but he didn't. More than anything - she wanted to be flying again. It was the only thing she knew how to do. It did make her uneasy, but she knew that she had to get to it. She remembered reporting to her father and how he could tell she was shaken up but wanting to get back on active status. He told her that whatever it took, they would do. After meeting with Negalla, the Atlantia's CAG, Major Spindler, suggested that he be of assistance in getting her back in the cockpit for a routine shuttle mission - just to get her flying again, starting slowly. After meeting with Cass, he told her flat out she was done as a flight tester, but that they'd find something for her to do, just maybe outside of a Viper cockpit. Cassiopeia couldn't decide if she was upset or grateful. One of her fellow pilots from the Solaria, Particle, had been on board the Atlantia for the promotion ceremony of Admiral Negalla, and had sought out Cass to see how she was doing after the accident. He was very supportive and volunteered to serve as her ECO and trusty sidekick on the random science shuttle mission the CAG had given her. She didn't know that it would change her life forever. Niether did Particle.

The Galactica briefing room was buzzing - rumors had spread throughout the ship and the pilots were trying to decipher what was fact, and what was fiction. They all quieted down when they saw Starbuck enter with a guest, Helo, and Sharon. Who was this mysterious pilot? Why did she look like she had just been in a fight? Her face was smudged, her tanks were a little muddy, and nobody seemed to recognize her. Had there been a pilot hiding in the fleet? Why was the Cylon with them? What the hell was she doing in the briefing room? Helo took his seat by Hot Dog while Sharon and Cassiopeia spread out the makeshift chart Cortley had created for them.

"What's going on Starbuck? What's up with the condition one?"asked Duck. Starbuck gave him a look that told him it was time to sit downand wait - patience was important right now. Starbuck turned back to the other two women, as they allhuddled around Cortley's scribbled chart. "Well - this is it - and we haven't got much time," said an uneasy Cassiopeia. "What do you think?" Cass asked Sharon, nervously. The last time she had seen a humanoid cylon, it hadn't ended very well for all parties involved - the bruised ribs and cuts on her face and arms were her constant reminders. The vivid detail of her body being shoved into a tree came to mind immediately, but she pushed it aside. _Apollo wouldn't have gotten us home if it hadn't been for her_, she thought. _Get a grip Cass._ Sharon scanned the paper and within seconds had scribbled out her own drawing to help represent what was about to take place.

"This is what your intended targetlooks like," Sharon started, motioning to a freighter. "In order for the Cylons to stop tracking us, we must destroy this ship - it contains a carrier signal. If it's gone, so is the signal."

"You sure?" asked Starbuck.Sharon nodded.

"This is what we have to work with?" asked Cass as she looked over to the rag tag group of pilots that the fleet had left. Starbuck joined her with a look of hopelessness.

"Well, we're running a little short on pilots lately - well, pretty much since the initial attacks," she said dejectedly.

"Okay then... let's see... we set up a squadron over here," she said motioning to one of the sectors with the pen, "and one here."

"You're leaving your backside open - the Cylons will merge onto your location too quickly," offered Sharon. Cassiopeia and Starbuck traded questionable looks with each other.

"What is it with you - betray your own kind? Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful, but I'm having a hard time trying to figure out why you're doing this?" Cassiopeia had left it in for far too long. It needed to be said.

"All in good time," replied a somber Sharon.

"I spent the last two years of my life -" she shouted as the pilots all stopped in silence from their own conversations. She lowered her voice and anger level so that the pilots would continue on their own, and so she could continue. "-with two Cylon models, and I can't help but want my questions answered. So what the frack is going on here?"

"I have my reasons just like you Cassiopeia. Yes, I know who you are," announced Sharon as Cassiopeia had a look of shock on her face. "You're just going to have to chance it and trust me this once - just like the Galactica has in the past, and then maybe you'll get your answers if we survive through all of this." Sharon was sick of it all. She wasn't going to be pushed aside anymore.

Cassiopeia gave Starbuck an uneasy look, and Starbuck nodded.

"There's not much else we can do," she said quietly.

"Fine," she said angrily, and ready to continue on. We get them on the back, and we leave a squadron to fly a CAP around the fleet while the civilians jump in sequence - about how long does that take?" asked Cassiopeia.

"About nine minutes, give or take, depending on the FTL drives on the civilian ships, sometimes they're in order, sometimes they have a glitch or two," replied Starbuck quickly. They'd done it so often that everyone in the fleet knew the process.

"We need strong fliers over here to draw off the raiders - the rest we need the big guns to pull the trigger over her," said Cassiopeia, who then continued on quietly, "and someone to actually take out the freighter..."

"Here goes nothing," said Cassiopeia, as Starbuck picked up the chart to display to the others.

"Listen up – this is Lt. Negalla, call sign Cassiopeia," there were some hushed whispers at the mention of her last name, "she will be leading our operation, in conjunction with Sharon's help," there were more muffled whispers as everyone wondered why they were trusting the Cylon again. Cassiopeia looked over to Sharon, who glared back at her.

"First off, which one of you is the Viper pilot from the CAP? The one our Raptor almost collided with?" she asked to the crowd of pilots sitting before her. Hot Dog shyly raised his hand.

"Good reflexes," she said, nodding. "You're flying my wing; think you can keep up?" she asked with a cocky smirk on her face. Hot Dog raised his eyebrows - this was a challenge he liked. He nodded.

The hatch door opened, and Admiral Adama, President Baltar, and Apollo entered the briefing room.

"Attention on deck!" shouted Duck, as they approached the podium, whilethe pilots all stood at attention.

"At ease," ordered Apollo, as he took a look at Cassiopeia, Starbuck, and Sharon's work.

"We're launching Vipers in 12 minutes," announced Apollo. "Everyone needs to be prepared, this is our first major offensive since the liberation of New Caprica. We've been cold these last few months with little or no flying at all, so get focused, and get back into your routine. We aren't home free yet." He motioned to Cassiopeia that it was her queue to continue.

"This is our intended target," stated Cassiopeia, pointing to Sharon's quick blueprint of the ship. "The Cylons are currently tracking us from an electronic signal found in major ships systems. Part of that signal has already been destroyed, but in order for the Cylons to stop tracking us, we must destroy this ship - it contains the rest of the carrier signal that is sending our location to the Cylon fleet."

"The Raiders will be drawing you away from it - so keep at 'em - we're going to do the chasing this time," ordered Starbuck. I'll lead the attack on Galactica's wing - Kat, Duck, and Showboat will be with me. What's left of the Pegasus squadron flies with us while Racetrack pulls Raptor duty with Helo. Sharon will be there to verify that the signal is destroyed upon the completion of this mission." Racetrack nodded, she knew that there was no point to argue it - she wouldn't win, and somehow, she felt safer knowing that Sharon wanted to get out of this alive too, maybe that upped her own chances.

"Okay, if we put ten over here and leave the last seven back here, we'll have a Raptor to run interference," suggested Cassiopeia.

"Catman gets that detail. I'll lead the squadron to distract the basestars - that leaves you and Hot Dog to take out the freighter," finished Apollo. "Remember, keep on the chase - we aren't running today, and stay out of Galactica's firing solutions, these frackers will bring you in a close as they can. You know what you have to do. You've been trained well. When we break formation, split them up, make for them, but as far from the civvies as you can. Good hunting."

"Any inspirational thoughts, Mr. President?" asked a calm Adama from the corner of the podium. Baltar looked positively horrified at the idea of being inspirational. Cassiopeia looked on as though she knew he was going to blow his one and only chance, while the others were savoring the moment. Apparently, Baltar couldn't think of anything to say... he was speechless. A voice from the back of the briefing room could be heard.

"On behalf of the quorom of twelve, know that you are appreciated throughout this fleet no matter the outcome of your mission. Good hunting," offered Roselin. Adama nodded at her gesture, pleased that she had made a surprise appearance. No one had noticed her come into the room, but no one minded that she did.

"Dismissed," commanded Adama, as the pilots jumped up ready to take their course of action head on. Adama pulled Lee to the side. "I don't like the idea of you up in the air - you're a commander now."

"I need to be flying - you need pilots, and I need to be out there to do my job," he said strictly. "I can command from the air." Adama nodded, he understood; he didn't like it, but he understood. With that, they nodded in agreement, allowed a quick hug between them, and Apollo was out the door to prep for the mission.

"You really think we can trust her?" Cassiopeia asked Starbuck, as they gathered their information to give to Adama to take to the CIC.

"She has helped us before," admitted Starbuck, "but she is a Cylon. Unfortunately we don't have a choice."

"Well then," continued Cassiopeia, "lets take these frakkers out once and for all." Cass turned to the door after Kara and headed back up to the flight deck, but Kara had picked the wrong moment to take off for the hanger deck. Just as she had arrived in the hallway, she noticed she was in time to witness the scene of Dee running straight into Apollo's arms kissing him, and in tears. Dee had been so worried, and hadn't been handling the last few days very well. This was a painful thing for Kara to watch – they were both so happy, so relieved to see each other. Then she thought back to Apollo's first words to her upon his return. They were cold and commanding – strictly business. It made her remember a particularly nasty argument that had flashed into her mind - Apollo's words cutting her at her core as they echoed in her head, _"I'm just a CAG, and you're just a pilot…"_ She knew that whatever was between her and Lee was gone. She had been replaced as the most important woman in his life. She wasn't able to see Sam behind her, watching her watch them and knowing that he was losing whatever he had.

Suddenly the alarm sounded –the Cylons were here.

Next Chapter 19 - For Particle


	19. For Particle

Author's Note: I don't have a beta - so this is posted immediately after I write it. (If you would like to volunteer – email me at When an author reads over their own work, they are less likely to catch typos and mistakes. If you have that big of a problem with typos and mistakes, you don't have to read my story. I do proofread, but I don't catch everything. I was not an English major in college - I was a Sports Marketing major. That said, I do appreciate comments and critique - they really do shape how things come out in this story. If you think I haven't addressed something that needs to be addressed - by all means, let me know! I'd appreciate it! Special thanks to: darkfinder, Jessie, laurie31, yannik, angry penguin, SabineHolterman, gibgirl4, ammonite, gray03, starbuck042786, aliajacket, ladykoons, JAT.NJ, and dgainey2003 for their comments!

**Chapter 19 – For Particle**

"Jump complete," reported Hoshi.

"All ships present and accounted for," replied Dualla, as everyone worked diligently at their stations. The crew wasn't sure if they were prepared for this or not.

"Dradis contact! Multiple contacts, incoming Raiders will be here in four minutes," shouted Thornton, as the crew snapped into action. Anders had the feeling that he was out of place, but was ordered to stay in the CIC with his escorted guests – Rena and Cortley.

"Set condition one throughout the fleet. Have them continue to spool their FTL drives and jump in sequence to the rendezvous point; we're sending the civilians ahead of us," ordered Adama, as he looked over to Col. Tigh. "What's our status?"

"Fighters are in the tubes," reported Tigh. "I hope they know what they're doing," he added thinking of Cassiopeia and Apollo's plan. Adama glared back at him, but secretly agreed with Tigh. He hoped they knew what they were doing too. He wasn't too thrilled about trusting Sharon again - they had already done it one too many times. It wasn't that she hadn't proved herself to them; it was the basic fact that she was still a Cylon.

"Cassiopeia won't let you down," added Cortley. "She didn't let us down." Rena looked scared to death, and it showed to Adama, who approached her and put a hand on her shoulder to help ease her fears. He nodded to her, and she forced a reluctant smile.

Cassiopeia sat nervously in the cockpit of a Mark VII viper. She could hear the chatter from the CIC, and Cortley's confidence that he had shared with the others. It made her feel uneasy and nervous. She flashed back to the time her father had taken her to the air base and shown her a Viper, just like the one he flew. "_Remember, Meg, when you're in the cockpit you're on top of the world. You are in total control of your destiny and others, and you feel such a freedom that is indescribable. One day, you'll know,_" she could hear her father tell her.

Just the idea of being in a Viper cockpit was nerve racking. There was a big difference between piloting a Raptor and flying a Viper. She laughed at herself thinking back to when she had been complaining about the maneuverability of a Raptor only minutes ago – boasting that a Viper was so much easier to work with, especially since it could flip end from end in .35 seconds.

"Viper 319, you are cleared for launch," said Major Kelly. Cassiopeia froze. She couldn't move. "Viper 319, I repeat, you are clear for launch," the Major repeated.

"What the frack am I doing?" Cassiopeia asked herself out loud. She closed her eyes and wished it would all end, that everything would just disappear. She wished that when she opened her eyes she would be amongst her friends en route to the Delphi base after a quick trip to Picon or Aerelon.

"Meg?" his voice snapped her back to attention. "Meg, talk to me."

"Why am I here? What the hell am I doing?" she asked, knowing that Lee was the only one who could understand her.

"You're flight suite top left pocket. That's why you're here. And don't you forget it," Lee replied. Cass reached into her pocket – he was right. Inside was her picture of Particle standing with her on board the Atlantia. "As for what you're doing – you're sitting in my launch tubes," he added. Although Cassiopeia couldn't see him, she knew that he was smiling his usual cocky smile. Cassiopeia took a deep breath - this was it.

"Major Kelly, my apologies. Viper 319 – go for launch," stated Cassiopeia, cycling through her systems, preparing the ordinances.

"Viper 319 good to hear it, you are cleared for launch," said Major Kelly. Memories came rushing back as she slid through the launch tubes and finally into the reaches of space. She stretched her legs a little and did a roll or two before settling on her current course while waiting on the rest of the Viper squadrons to launch. They were ready for their offensive. Or was it a defensive?

"This is more like it," laughed Cassiopeia, as she weaved in and out of the fleets ships.

"Don't get too carried away over there - we've got a job to do!" reminded Apollo.

"Sir, Vipers are away," reported Hoshi.

"Excellent, get me the pilots on speaker," replied Adama, wanting the ships to have full access to the strike that was about to take place.

"Gun controls report that weapons are manned and ready," Dualla informed the CIC.

Racetrack was worried. She knew that serious things were going down and that she was caught in the middle of it - the middle of the struggle between Sharon and the Fleet - not really the place she wanted to be, but it was part of the job, and she was going to have to deal with it whether she liked to or not. She glanced back to Sharon, who with her Marine guard, were positioned in the back of the Raptor nearby Helo, who was back in his position as an ECO. She had a stern, cold expression on her face, staring off into nothingness. As she ventured out into space, incoming Cylons had spotted her location, and it was time to act.

"Galactica, Racetrack. 75 + inbound fighters, I repeat 75 + inbound - Speed 200," she announced to the others, ready to assist the incoming Vipers do their job. Catman was also in place working on the other side of the fleet.

"We have another 50 + launching from a Basestar on Galactica's tail," informed Catman. "Vipers are en route to intercept in two minutes."

"Copy that Catman, estimated time to strike intercept, two minutes," said Dualla over the comm.

"We've got incoming; let's give them hell boys and girls," shouted Starbuck. She was back in her element now. Leading Vipers was a hell of a lot easier than sorting out her life, especially where Lee and Anders were concerned. She preferred this to almost everything.

"Scatter formation - weapons free - open racks - and engage," shouted Apollo as the Vipers scattered and immediately got to work. Raiders were approaching in almost every direction.

"Guns have a firing solution," reported Thornton. Adama nodded.

"Fire!"Adama commanded.

"Razzle dazzle, move 'em out. Let's make the most of this!" shouted Cassiopeia, back into routine already. "Hotdog, on me, break right, press." She was in total control now. Outsiders wouldn't be able to tell that she had been missing from the fleet for two years - she was a natural.

"Roger that, Cassiopeia, pressing, bearing 6-7-2," replied Hot Dog as he rolled his ship to follow her towards the incoming Cylon fleet.

"We're going to have to eyeball this mystery ship unless the Cylon can get us confirmation on a position," added Cassiopeia.

"She has a name," reminded Helo over the comm, somewhat annoyed.

"Unfortunately we weren't formally introduced, Lieutenant, so you can pass on my original message," reminded Cassiopeia equally as annoyed. Helo started to reply but Racetrack cut him off.

"Helo – Galactica wants a status report, "she ordered, hoping to cut the conversation off before it got ugly.

"Kat, Showboat multiple bandits right, twelve high. Range 20," said Showboat, sweeping through a cluster of Cylon Raiders.

"Roger that Showboat, I'm right behind you," announced Kat as she maneuvered to follow.

"Beehive, Snake, two bandits closing in fast, left two," shouted Snake into the comm as the Raiders approached from the left.

"I see them," replied Beehive, ready for their move.

"Follow me," shouted Snake.

"Watch it over there, you're driving them into the civilians," reminded Starbuck. "They haven't all been able to jump yet," she added.

"Starbuck, Showboat, Pegasus Red Squadron is in position to cover Galactic," announced Showboat as her pilots fell into formation behind Starbuck.

"She's all yours Showboat," replied Starbuck, leaving them to protect the fleet while she led some of the others to assist the Vipers that were overloaded with Raider problems.

"Beehive, break left now!" shouted Starbuck as Beehive narrowly missed the guns of a heavy Raider on his tail. There were too many of them at this point; the Vipers were out numbered six to one. Cass took it upon herself to fly out in front of them and try to cut through to the carefully protected Cylon fleet. That was where the carrier ship would be located, and where her mission would take her.

"Let's see if we can clear this up a bit!" Cassiopeia shouted as she fired her guns to plow through the enemy lines. Hot Dog was having a hard time trying to keep up with her, but managed to do so. "Still no sign of the carrier ship."

"This is insane - we need back up if we're going to get through this!" shouted Hot Dog not happy with his current situation. This was a suicide run if they didn't get help fast.

"Right," said Cassiopeia, half saddened at the thought they'd have to ask for help, but also knowing that he was right. "Apollo, Cassiopeia, heavily engaged, request assistance ASAP."

"Roger that Cassiopeia," said Apollo already on his way. "Starbuck, we're rearranging."

"Already ahead of you Apollo, Showboat's covering Galactica and the fleet, I'm on it," she told him.

"Form up on my wing," he ordered her, "we'll take a pass on the port side."

"Duck, on me," she asked, as they joined up with Apollo.

"Roger that," replied Duck.

The Vipers were continuing the battle as they pulled the Raiders out of their territory and getting them singled out in order to be taken out.

"Damn it!" shouted Skylar, "there's just too many of them!"

"Punch it Skylar!" shouted Hamster - the frustration of the pilots clearly showing.

"I need a hand over here!" shouted Skulls over the comm. He and Catman were making their sweeps in the sector, but were almost completely defenseless. The Vipers rearrangements were causing them to have no cover whatsoever.

"Two bogies incoming to Raptor 347 – breaking off for intercept," announced Chaser to the other pilots.

"Starcloud, give him a hand," commanded Apollo, trying to get the Raptor some protection.

"I'm on it leader," replied Starcloud, pulling back to cover them.

"Pick it up - let's move!" shouted Starbuck trying to re-energize her squadron. They were falling back. "We're chasing them, not the other way around," she reminded them. They weren't going to be in this fight much longer if they didn't get their heads into this. Duck was in a heated engagement with a Cylon Raider that had been gunning for him the entire time.

"I lost visual, where is he?" asked a panicked Duck, frantically searching his visual range when he could find anything on Dradis.

"Duck, he's on your six!" announced Headcase.

"I can't shake him!" he cried out, hoping someone was nearby!

"I'm on him," Starbuck told him. "Bring him around!"

"Get him off me!" he ordered, as he followed her instructions.

"Break vertical – now! Go! Go! Go!" she yelled as she pulled the trigger just in time to destroy the Raider and break away. She had hit her target head on. Apollo could see that his pilots were working hard, but they were still outnumbered. The odds were continually changing, but they were still outnumbered three to one. He was hot on the tail of two Raiders returning to the fleet area fast.

"Hamster, I'm bringing them in," announced Apollo, wanting them to get ready to fire on the moving targets.

"At those speeds? I can't hit that!" shouted Hamster, panicked.

"Take the shot!" yelled Apollo and Starbuck together.

"What is the fleet's progress?" asked Adama, hoping that all the civilian ships and freighters were already away, just as President Baltar entered the CIC.

"Four ships remaining in jump sequence," reported Dualla.

"Pull the CAP from those ships and have them assist strike one," demanded Adama, eyeing the President as he approached.

"Without the CAP we're defenseless!" screamed Baltar, red-faced, and scared to death in the corner of the CIC.

"That's a risk we'll have to take," shouted Adama, clearly not wanting to be second-guessed by Baltar. "Galactica's guns will be able to hold off most of what they throw at us. We're out of options Mr. President."

"Do not relay that transmission," Baltar yelled to Dualla.

"This is a military matter, and you do not have jurisdiction in this situation. I suggest you take a seat somewhere else on board this ship," shouted Adama, ready to have the Marines escort the President off of his ship. He thought for sure after their last encounter that Baltar wouldn't be back for quite some time. Apparently, Baltar had other ideas, and planned to be constantly looking over Adama's shoulder.

Apollo's work was getting the odds more closely to Galactica's favor when the object caught his eye. It had been a familiar sight in the last hour –a fourth basestar had just made an FTL jump into the system.

"Galactica, Apollo, get me Actual," he ordered in a serious tone.

"Confirmed?" asked Adama, wishing it weren't true. When Apollo confirmed it, he held his head down for a moment, before turning to Ensign Thornton. "Commander Apollo reports a fourth basestar."

"A fourth?" asked a panicked Rena, who was near tears.

"I have it on Dradis at bearing 0-7-2 - carom 4-4-3, range 31,000," informed Hoshi.

"Another one?" asked Tigh, staring down the Dradis.

"The entire Cylon fleet is practically on top of us!" shouted Kat in the comm.

"Another incoming wave of Cylons will be o­n us in three minutes," announced Tigh. "All fighters are engaged." Cortley scribbled away on his copy of the chart he had presented to Apollo and Cassiopeia as a way to map out the sector for the battle.

"Admiral," started Cortley, "with the two squadrons over here," he motioned to the map he was drawing," and two more over here, that leaves Cassiopeia's search area way too large to search while your fighters try to hold them off.

"We're going to have to send someone out to help her – get me Starbuck," he ordered Dee.

"Engaging Cylon strike two fighters," announced Chaser. "Or is this strike three or four or..."

"Shut up Chaser!" yelled Kat.

"Gods this guy is fast! Snake, come around!" Beehive ordered to his wingman.

"Three incoming!" Snake replied as the new wave of Cylon fighters had come into the fight.

"Pull up!" screamed Skylar as the scene unfolded before his eyes.

"Snake, don't stray out past the recovery line!" yelled Starbuck trying to take control of the situation.

"Snake, you're too far out!" added Headcase trying to put emphasis on the situation's urgency.

"I've got him on my tail!" cried Snake as the Raider got him in his scope.

"Snake, come around!" shouted Beehive knowing that his wingman was about to lose the fight with the heavy Raider. He lowered his head in defeat as Snake's ship broke apart upon impact with the Raider's guns. Snake was gone.

"Damn it! We lost Snake," Headcase informed the others.

"Apollo, Starbuck, we're losing them fast," she told him. "Actual's ordered my squadron to assist in search efforts for the carrier ship."

"Keep you eyes open and watch out your six, we haven't got enough pilots to cover that sector," shouted Apollo.

"Come o­n, you frakker!" Starbuck yelled in frustration to a nearby Raider.

"Cassiopeia, you've got two tailing you fast, bring them back - I can't get to you in time!" Hot Dog shouted, worried that they would lose her too after what happened to Snake.

"I see them Hot Dog," she replied. "I got 'em - hold on."

"Hot Dog, Kat, two minutes out," she offered, as she had just broken through the enemy lines.

"Cass, talk to me," said Apollo, wanting to know what was going through her mind, as he, Starbuck, Duck, and Hamster broke through the line as well.

"I'm on it - I just need another minute," Cassiopeia insisted.

"Cass - you're headed straight for the basestar!" shouted Apollo. A twinge of jealousy overcame Starbuck as she heard the concern in his voice. A concern she'd heard for herself on more than one occasion.

Cassiopeia was headed straight for a basestar, with little or no time to pull out of her course, when at the last second she did just that twisting back in between the Raiders, causing them to collide with each other and the Basestar and be destroyed. It was a rather impressive maneuver, causing the others to shout in triumph.

"Told ya!" Cassiopeia smiled, as she relayed the confirmation of the two Raiders back to Apollo. "You doubted me!"

"Where the hell did you learn that?" asked Hot Dog.

"I didn't really learn it, I just did it," replied Cassiopeia.

"Guess that's why you were a test pilot," smiled Hot Dog.

"Heads up Ronin," Kat reminded them, as the fight was not over yet - and the target was still not in sight.

"I've lost visual – where is he?" asked Ronin.

"I've got him – he's right here," shouted Kingston, as another Raider came out of nowhere and winged him. "What was that?" he shouted as his ship spun out of control. "I'm losing it."

"Kingston – punch it for home – fast," stated Starbuck. "There's not much else you can do for us out here."

"Kingston watch out!" shouted Kat, as the Cylon returned for another pass on him.

"There's no way out! I've lost all system controls!" he frantically shouted at the others when he realized his controls were frozen. He was dead in the water and unable to pilot back to the Galactica. Before he knew it, the ordinance were heading straight for him as he closed his eyes and braced himself for the end.

"Kat!" shouted Skylar, as Kat came around and took a hit for Kingston. Kingston opened his eyes for a moment and realized he was still among that land of thte living. Kat had taken the hit for him, but it hadn't destroyed her ship and she had safely ejected from her cockpit.

"I'm hit! I'm hit!" shouted a nervous Kat, "Kryptor, Kryptor, Kryptor – Galactica this is Kat - my engine's gone repeat, my engine's gone. Frack!"

"That was incredibly stupid!" shouted Kingston, "But thanks for saving my ass," he added.

"I got you, Kat," announced Catman as he piloted to her coordinates.

"Sitrep!" demanded Adama from the CIC.

"Kat just took a hit, we've lost her Viper - Catman en route for pickup," replied Dualla.

"We're en route sir," informed Skulls, Catman's ECO.

"Frack..."yelled Catman, as he stared down at the Dradis. "Someone's locked on to us – I need a hand here!"

"Catman, Showboat three minutes out," Showboat replied.

"Catman, Starbuck two minute out," replied Starbuck.

"Cassiopeia, delay on search, punch it for Raptor 274,"Apollo ordered her, as she was one of the closest pilots to Catman's current location.

"On my way," announced Cass, but it was too late. The Raptor had been locked on and destroyed seconds before Cass arrived. Catman and Skulls were gone. Cassiopeia took out her frustrations on the Raider that had destroyed them.

"We just lost Catman. Frack! Racetrack – we need another Raptor ASAP," Starbuck told her.

"Galactica, Racetrack, Catman's gone," she started. "We need Stubbs to pick up Kat and Kingston," she informed them.

"Alert Major Kelly for the launch," Adama motioned to Tigh.

Stubbs was already in place, and upon Major Kelly's alert, they were launched and ready to pickup the pilots.

"Still no sign of the carrier ship," stated Hot Dog, as he and Cassiopeia continued to sweep through the sector as quickly as possible, trying to take out the Cylon Raiders that were between them and where their objective was supposed to be.

"No sign of it here either," replied Cassiopeia. "We just need to get out of this flack and focus – if we can break through this next line, we might have better line of sight."

Racetrack continued her scan of the area - but there was still no sign on the target. The carrier ship was nowhere to be seen.

"Where the frack is the ship!" demanded Racetrack, as she turned back to Helo and Sharon in the Raptor. The Marine guards were looking bored in the back of the Raptor - they definitely didn't want to be there.

"Hey!" started Helo, but Racetrack cut him off again.

"No - don't even try to defend her!" Racetrack shouted. "That carrier ship was supposed to be here according to her," she pointed to Sharon angrily. "It's nowhere in sight, explain that one Helo!" He couldn't - he was just as confused. Helo got back on the Dradis in hopes to prove her wrong.

"I'm trying!" he shouted back at her, "nothing is a guarantee!"

Stubbs had finally been able to pick up Kat and Kingston both, and had them on board when Kat caught sight of the Dradis on the ship.

"We've got more problems on the way," she announced to everyone aboard.

"Galactica, Stubbs. There is another strike force inbound to Galactica," he informed them

"Confirm that!" shouted Tigh, about to lose his cool.

"Galactica, Racetrack, confirmed third strike force, no basestar, repeat no new basestar," Racetrack answered.

"Racetrack confirms sir, but informs there is not a third basestar," Dualla passed on to the rest of the CIC.

"It's a blood bath out there!" shouted an angry Tigh as the scene got worse.

"Do something!" screamed Baltar, clearly rocked at the prospect of defeat.

"They're pulling away from the Basestars," Apollo informed the pilots.

"Why would they do that?" asked Cass, "That's where the target would be."

"Red Devil, Stinger, Scumball, and Shoestrap, you're with me. Starbuck – take your squadron to bearing 8-1-4 – keep them tied up," order Apollo, as he tried to figure out the next possible move.

"I'm on it," said Starbuck, pulling back with her fighters and they continued to dogfight with the Cylon Raiders.

"We'll try to draw their fire in, buy you some time," Red Devil offered Apollo.

"We just lost Shoestrap," replied Stinger, as he formed up with Starbuck.

"Scumball's headed back to Galactica - ordinance tracking systems weren't cycling - he's down," added Racetrack.

"Is anyone still out here with us?" asked a sarcastic Starbuck.

"Whiplash, cover Apollo until Showboat gets here," Stinger ordered as he pulled up next to Racetrack's Raptor. "I'm on it," answered Whiplash.

Meanwhile, Sharon had connected to the ships systems in Racetrack's Raptor, hoping to do exactly what she had done to find Apollo and Cassiopeia, tap into the Cylon mainframe.

"Tell me this will work, Sharon," pleaded Helo, as she connected to the wires.

"This better not be a trick!" shouted Racetrack angrily.

"We've got raiders closing fast," reminded Whiplash, as Stinger, Apollo, and Red Devil lead Showboat's recently arrived squadron into battle against the Basestars.

"Radiological alarm!" shouted Racetrack. "One of their ships have incoming nukes! No lock - I repeat they do not yet have a lock!" Racetrack finished, as she piloted to her correct coordinates so Helo could continue the search.

"They don't want Galactica, they're coming for me," announced a calm Sharon from the back of the Raptor. They want me alive, and they want Galactica in one piece because they know about Hera." She smiled quickly at the possibility.

"What?" shouted Racetrack and Helo at the same time.

"They know that my daughter is alive, and they will stop at nothing to get her, as will I," announced an angry Sharon.

As Cassiopeia circled through the Cylon fleet one last time, she came to the startling conclusion that had been in the back of her mind since the plan had been created.

"Target is not here - I repeat, target is not here!" shouted an angry Cassiopeia. "Frack! She set us up!"

Next: Chapter 20 - Fireworks


	20. Fireworks

Jessie - I went back and read over some of the chapters trying to fix them up more - typos and such. I also caught a huge problem in 11. (Chapter 10 - Raiding the Raptor) That has been fixed as well. Somehow, when I load these onto fanfiction, some of the words run together and I don't catch it until it's already been posted. I am trying though.

Ammonite and laurie31 - Thank you so much for the encouragement - it was very hard to write the last chapter! I didn't think it would be until I was doing it. I think it's the chapter I am most proud of.

All - Sorry for such a long wait, but I have some of the next chapter done, so it won't be as long of a wait this next time. Sometimes the schedule just doesn't permit me time to enjoy this new little hobby. As a side note, this will be complete when October rolls around. Just so you know!

**Chapter 18 - Fireworks**

"What do you mean it's not there?" shouted Starbuck.

"It's not there," repeated Cassiopiea. The eight model had betrayed them - their worse fears had been revealed.

Helo looked at Sharon, shocked beyond belief. Had she really just said what he thought she said? Was their daughter really alive? He had tried to protect his daughter, love his daughter, and then he had to mourn his daughter. As far as he knew, he had lost her. Was it really possible for her to be alive? And if so - why had they been lied to? Who had lied to them? Adama? Cottle?

"Sharon?" he asked nervously, standing in front of her to position himself between her and Racetrack.

"What the frack is she doing?" shouted Racetrack alarmed. Sharon was still connected to the computer system of the Raptor, and was slowly rocking back and forth, her eyes shut tight. It was as if time had stopped completely on board the Raptor. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case for others.

"He's on my six!" yelled Duck into the comm, but Showboat was quick to arrive at his assistance.

"Duck, Showboat offensive. Two left, seven at ten," announced Showboat. The odds were still not in their favor, but they weren't about to give up just yet, no matter what the chatter was over the comm.

"Good to see you Showboat," Duck answered thankfully. "Thank you."

"Showboat, bring you're squadron around, we're going to cut off the Raiders before they can launch," ordered Starbuckas they formed up to make a quick pass towards the basestars.

"Roger that, I'm with you, leader," replied Showboat, bringing her Viper to fly in formation with Starbuck's, as her squadron did the same, ready to break the lines of the incoming Raiders.

"Hamster, Chaser, two bandits, coming hard," relayedChaser as she turned to follow the others, "get out of there!"

"Starcloud, where are you man, I need your help!" shouted Hamster, scanning the skies for his wingman. Whiplash arrived just in time to take out the aforementioned bandits before they were able to get a shot off.

"Hamster, Whiplash, we just lost Starcloud," he reported sadly as he joined up with them; the majority of his squadron had fallen victim."We're dropping like flies out here!"

"Get them out of there," bellowed Adama into the radio. He wasn't going to lose more pilots than he already had - enough was enough. Jumping every 33 minutes would be hell, but they would just have to do it until an appropriate plan could be created.

"So much for the offensive," said Duck into the radio as he broke apart and headed back to Galactica. The pilots were still heavily engaged in attacks with the Raiders and Basestars.

"There just going to keep tracking us," said Whiplash into the comm.

"The ships not here, so they can't track us," Stinger pointed out. "It was a set-up."

"Are we sure it's not here? I mean what choice do we have if we have to do this every half hour?" asked Showboat.

"Admiral Adama has made the call for everyone to return to Galactica," announced Stubbs. "He probably wants torework some things, so just high-tail it back here, okay!" Stubbs wasn't in the mood for debate while in the middle of a major Cylon operation. He wanted to get the hell out of there.

"Apollo, Cassiopeia, we need to finish this," she said quickly. "I'm not leaving till it's done."

"Cass the ship isn't here!" said Hot Dog, worried about her. "We need to go."

"I'm not leaving," said Cassiopeia in all seriousness.

"That's suicide," shouted Stubbs, but Cassiopeia wasn't paying any attention. She knew she was right - no one was going to change her mind. She stared down at the console in front of her and saw Particle's picture placed for her to see during the battle. He had set a precident - sacrificing himself for the betterment of society - or at least the hope of rejoining society. She wasn't going to let him down - she was going to do the same.

"Cassiopeia, this is Galactica, you are ordered to return to base immediately," said Dee relaying Adama's orders.

"Apollo, Hot Dog, help me talk her out of this," pleaded Hot Dog.

"What are you thinking Cass?" asked Apollo knowing she was trying to come up with another last minute plan.The other fighters turned back towards Galactica. Cassiopeia, Apollo, Hot Dog, and Starbuck were all that remained on the front lines, with Showboat, Red Devil, Duck, and Whiplash not far behind them.

As Cassiopeia stared at the photograph in front of her - memories came flooding back.

_"We'll lay all the cards out on the table tomorrow," said Cass. _

_"Guess things have changed since we've been out here in the middle of nowhere," joked Particle._

_"... a cylon agent sent to infiltrate the fleet..." Apollo had said. _

_"What is it with you - betray your own kind? I'm having a hard time trying to figure out why you're doing this?" Cassiopeia shouted angrily at Sharon._

_"All in good time," replied a somber Sharon. __"I have my reasons just like you Cassiopeia. You're just going to have to chance it and trust me this once - just like the Galactica has in the past, and then maybe you'll get your answers if we survive through all of this." _

"..._no matter the outcome of your mission," Cass could hear Roslin say._

_"You really think we can trust her?" Cassiopeia asked Starbuck, as they gathered their information to give to Adama to take to the CIC._

_"Unfortunately we don't have a choice," admitted Starbuck._

_"I expected better from you Cass," Cortley threw at her angrily. "Running away from a situation, instead of helping..."_

_"Meg…" whispered Particle as his face faded and he was lost. "Meg…" the sound of him saying her name was haunting. "Meg… Meg… Meg…"_

"What?" said Cass snapping out of the trance.

"Meg!" shouted Adama into the comm, apparently he had been trying to get her attention for some time now."This isn't the time."

"Racetrack, Cassiopeia, get Sharon on the comm," demanded Cassiopeia. Racetrack wasn't ready to put up an arguement, and Helo had already patched her through. "Look, Sharon, I don't know you or your history, but what I do know is that obviously they trust you somewhat to even allow you out here." She paused trying to think of what to say next. "The Cylons took away two years of my life. I was trapped for two years of my life with some of your people on a miserable planet that-" but she was interuppted.

"You didn't mind being trapped there with them when you thought they could help you. Then you find out they aren't what you thought they were and suddenly they are the enemy? How do you know they weren't trying to save you from the attacks? How do you know they were even going to hurt you?" Sharon threw back at her. Cassiopeia was speechless. "How do you expect humanity to survive if you lie and cheat and steal your way through life? Compassion means nothing to you people."

"Sharon -" Apollo started, but he was cut off too.

"I lost my daughter Apollo. Have you ever lost a child? Do you know what that feels like to lose a part of yourself?" she paused, choking back angry tears. Her words hit Apollo like a ton of bricks. No one knew. It was something he had always kept to himself.Helo was speechless - her words were true, but it the memory hurt.

Racetrack wasn't sure of what to do. The nuclear weapons were being pointed at Galactica, the other pilots were heavilyengaged, and time seemed to stand still on her Raptor. Over and over, her words replayed in Racetrack head, haunting her._"Compassion means nothing to you people." _Helo didn't know what to say or do, he just stared at the floor. They wereall stunned by Sharon's revelation.

"I helped you get away from the Cylons when they downloaded a virus into the ships systems. I helped you rescue your people on Caprica. I helped you rescue everyone from the planet you called New Caprica. I helped save your life only moments ago. Apparently no matter how many times I help you, I won't get her back. I guess loyalty doesn't mean anything either." She paused taking a deep breathe."The carrier ship is the freighter behind the second basestar. A direct hit on the port side underneath thepanel will cause it's destruction, and then your signal will be destroyed," she said, giving in. Upon hearing the location, Racetrack fell out of her trance andsprung into action on the dradis trying to find the freighter - she had seen it only minutes ago.

"Did you hear that?" asked Stubbs.

"Is she serious?" asked Duck.

"Red Devil, you okay over there?" asked Showboat, noticing that he was having engine problems from a previous firefight with a Raider.

"I just need to get a lock down on this engine," he said frantically trying to pull out of a spin.

"If you can't lock it down I'll get Stubbs," replied Whiplash, hoping that he could pull out of it.

"Cassiopeia, Racetrack, I have a visual on the freighter, repeat, I have a visual," shouted Racetrack. "Your target isn't more than 4 feet wide." This was going to be difficult.

"Galactica, requesting permission to speak toChief Tyrol," said Cassiopeia quickly.

"Sir, Cassiopeia is requesting to speak to Chief Tyrol?" reported Dee, not really sure why she had made such an odd request. Adama seemed shocked at the suggestion, but nodded in approval. "The pilots are still not returning to base."

"Patch her through to the deck," said Adama. Tyrol wasn't sure what exactly was going on either.

"This is Chief Tyrol, go ahead?" replied Tyrol into the comm.

"Chief, Cass, you remembered my specs, right?" she asked hopefully. It had been awhile since she and Tyrol had worked together, but she was very specific in how her ship was prepped.

"She's all ready for you Cass, justas you like it," he replied with a smile on his face. He had remembered her awkward setup and laughed to himself. His crew had noticed the changes in the Viper when it was in the tubes and had tried frantically to get her out and abort the launch for fear of a major malfunction. They didn't realize it was exactly what she had expected and wanted.

"That's what I needed to know," said Cassiopeia, a smile spreading across her face.

"Hey Cass," said Tyrol before hanging up the phone, "don't do anything stupid."

"What's she doing?" asked a deck hand ashe stood by Chief Tyrol listening in over the comm system.

"Something stupid," replied Tyrol shaking his head and smiling.

"Initial point in ten seconds. Let's go people!" shouted Cassiopeia, trying desperately to get them energized for the offensive's new plan.

"Apollo?" asked Showboat, not sure exactly what's going on.

"Just keep your eyes open and follow me," ordered Apollo, not wanting them to worry. "Duck and Whiplash follow up behind Starbuck. Stubbs, swing around and pick up Red Devil."

"There it is!" shouted Hot Dog. "Racetrack, I now have your visual."

"Guidance systems won't get you where you need to go - you'll have to do it manually, Cassiopeia," said Sharon softly into the comm. She'd only have one shot, and this was going to be it. No more chances. Do or die.

"Hot Dog, you won't be able to follow me straight up - your ship won't be able to do it, so on three, I want you to circle around, and come at the target from the right. Flank right, on me," she ordered as he followed alongside her.

"You can't bank at that speed, your ship will implode!" shouted Stinger, but Cass ignored him. Hot Dog didn't question the command,but he would be the first to admit he was nervous.

"One," announced Cass, her voice shaky.

Tyrol closed his eyes and offered up a quick prayer that the work was done right.

"What the frack is going on out there?" shouted Tigh, wanting answers.

"Duck, Showboat, draw the fire from the Basestar so she can get a clear shot!" ordered Starbuck.

"Two." _If this gets me killed, then it gets me killed end of story_, said Cass to herself. She was swearing under her breathe as she held tight to the stick trying to maintain control.

"Cass?" Apollo asked worried, "what the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Don't ask," she replied."Three." She pulled up as fast as she could, Hot Dog following orders and flew around to position himself right behind her,as she shot straight up behind the freighter to position herself perpendicular to the target. Hot Dog sat back glad thathe didn't have to do the same.The other pilots were amazed that the ship could do it -the laws of physics certainly wouldn't permitthem to do so, so what exactlyhad she done to pull it off?

"Target acquired, tone and lock!" shouted Cassiopeia. "This is for you Particle - firing!"

"Tone and lock, firing..." said Hot Dog. The explosion was massive - quite a show for the Colonial Fleet forces watching from their cockpits.

"You always did enjoy fireworks, didn't you Particle," said Cass. "You're missing one hell of a show."

"It's done," whispered Sharon.

"Target acquired and destroyed!" yelled Hot Dog as he and Cassiopeia let out a collective sigh of relief. How the hell they had pulled it off was beyond him. He was going to have to compare notes with the new hot shot pilot when they got back to Galactica.

"Well that's a new trick," said Starbuck impressed.

"I don't recommend it – it really catches you off guard," said Cass, "and it makes landing a real bitch," she added.

"No kidding - your undercarriage is friedCassiopeia, all that pressure you added banking at those speeds tore it up. How your ship didn'timplode is beyond me.This isn't over till you hit the deck," said Racetrack.

"Order all Vipers to immediately report back for the jumpcombat landings,"demanded Adama. The pilots quickly followed the order this time, as they turned to get back aboard for the jump away from the basestars. One by one the ships hit the deck, one after the other until Cass came around lastwith Apollo. Chief Tyrol had wired her ship's pressure system to catch the undercarriage specifically, instead of the rest of the ship, but they both knew that her landing would be tough - something that Cass was used to since she always requested that specific wiring on her Viper.

"Cass, keep your nose up," said Apollo coaching her through the landing.

"I guessed I should have thought this through better - I haven't had to do this landing in two years," she said nervously.

"Why'd you have him do it?" asked Apollo.

"It's all about maneuverability," she said with a sigh. "How many times do I have to tell you that?" she said jokingly, as she began her approach. Galactica's guns were firing tocover them as they made their emergency combat landings. TheRaiders were closingin on themas the flight pod doors were closing. Apollo landed first. Cassiopeia braced herself for the landing, and smashed into the deck at high speeds, bouncing at first, until sliding to a stop inches away from Hot Dog's Viper.

Next Chapter: The Usual Emotional High


	21. The Usual Emotional High

**Author's Note - AGAIN, and please do not take this the wrong way. Someone else MUST have this same problem: I type my story in Word as a .doc and then upload it in fanfiction's documents section. That is where I edit it, make the changes, and post it onto the site. Everything is done right - proofread, etc. however, when it's loaded onto the sight, the words run together, and as a result everyone gripes about my proofreading. Again I will say to you - it is proofread - something happens in the translation/upload. "Adama and Roslin" ends up being "AdamaandRoslin." Please do not email me/review me about proofreading my story. If it bothers you that much you don't have to read my story. I would love for you to enjoy this, believe me. I didn't have to publish it, but I want to! Please don't take this in a bad way - constructive criticism is always welcome here, it's just that I don't know how to fix this upload error. Thanks.**

**Chapter 21 - The Usual Emotional High**

As Cassiopeia slid into the flight pod at an awkward angle, her head slammed into the side of the cockpit, causing serious pain. _Helmets are supposed to protect you, _she thought as she wished she could reach up and touch her throbbing forehead. She could feel the cool drip of blood and realized that is must have opened up one of the injuries from her fight with the Cylon known as D'Anna. The landing had been rough, but Cassiopeia had had worse. Somehow she had managed to slide into the deck, bounced so much that she was at angle, but turned upright by overcorrecting and stopping inches away from Hot Dog's already positioned Viper. She felt the flight pod release and knew that Galactica's jump had been completed, and soon the celebration would be underway. The Cylons were far behind them.

Mission accomplished.

As the deck crew rushed to secure the Vipers, the deck was suddenly crowded as pilots jumped out of their cockpits to begin the celebration.

Cassiopeia paused, sitting in the quiet cockpit, staring at the photo of Particle on her console. They really had done it, the Cylons were a jump away and the fleet was safe - for now. She thought back to what Sharon had told her, _"You didn't mind being trapped there with them when you thought they could help you. Then you find out they aren't what you thought they were and suddenly they are the enemy? How do you know they weren't trying to save you from the attacks? How do you know they were even going to hurt you?" _Did Sharon know what their plan was? Did she have the answers that Cassiopeia was looking for? It was going to have to wait - but she was going to find out exactly what she meant.

Suddenly, there was a knock on her cockpit shield. Cass pushed it back to see Chief Tyrol standing on the top of the ladder waiting for her with a huge smile across his face.

"Last time I checked, the party was out here," he said motioning o the mess of pilots, deck crew, and CIC members that were all gathered around the deck, drinking, laughing, and celebrating. "Why don't you join them, Lieutenant?" suggested Tyrol, helping her with her collar and helmet.

"I'm the stranger, remember?" she answered with a quick smile on her face, as she pulled her helmet off. Tyrol was taken aback for a moment seeing the gash on her forehead.

"Are you alright?" he asked quickly, being somewhat protective of his friend. He always watched out for his pilots. He surveyed the cut on her forehead before she rolled her eyes at him.

"It's nothing, really," she replied quickly, wiping across her forehead with her flight suit sleeve to stop the bleeding. "I've had worse."

"Yes sir," he said reluctantly, knowing that if Doc Cottle saw her she would get a lecture anyways. "Well about five minutes ago you saved our asses, and did some pretty gutsy moves. You're now the most talked about name in the fleet, so apparently this party is for you," he informed her as he took her helmet and secured her controls. As she pushed out of her seat, almost immediately the crowd gathered around the bottom of the ladder, with Apollo standing there waiting for her, a huge smile on his face.

"Nice move Cass," he said waiting for her descent.

"Yeah, I have a lot of those," She replied laughing, stepping down from the ladder and jumping into his arms and hugging him and pulling him close so that she could whisper in his ear, "thank you."

"I didn't do a thing," he replied, still holding her tight. "Welcome home." Simple as the phrase was, it was exactly what she needed to hear to know that she was right where she needed to be. Starbuck looked on, a twinge of jealousy rising up - the feeling that she had been replaced came before her again. "Are you okay?" he asked motioning to her forehead.

"Nothing I can't deal with," she replied.

"You have got to be one of the craziest people I've ever flown with," said Hot Dog shaking his head and smiling. "But I'll fly with you any time," he finished, offering his hand. Cassiopeia pulled him into a hug.

"You're a damn good wingman, Hot Dog," she said, as she took the bottle from his hand, upturned it, and drank it down. As she handed the bottle back to him, she winked and said, "I'll fly with you anytime." Hot Dog laughed.

As Cassiopeia laughed, something caught her attention - Sharon. She could see the Marine guards quickly pushing her out of sight, back to her prison. As they pulled her away, Sharon's eyes locked with Cass's. _"How do you expect humanity to survive if you lie and cheat and steal your way through life? Compassion means nothing to you people. I guess loyalty doesn't mean anything either." _Sharon's words echoed in her head over and over, as she tried to comprehend exactly what Sharon had meant. She was pulled out of the trance when Red Devil and Duck started singing Aerelon folk songs - way off tune, and pulled her into their singing celebration.

Racetrack seemed to be bothered by Sharon's words as well. Cassiopeia could see her standing behind Helo, both of them watching the place that Sharon had just disappeared to, instead of joining in on the celebration.

"Are you okay?" Racetrack asked Helo. Helo seemed taken aback by her asking the question. They had been friends, co-pilots, but never really discussed Sharon. They had agreed to disagree when it came to her. "Look, I'm not a fan of hers by any means, but what she said back there? It's got me thinking."

"It's too late," said Helo sadly. "What's done is done. No one would give her a chance now - not after that. Not after we lost all those pilots. Everyone has already made their judgment."

"I don't think she has," said Racetrack pointing to Cassiopeia, who was watching them. "And after everything's that's happened? I think Apollo might be changing his mind too."

Cassiopeia could see Adama approaching the deck from the same hatchway that Sharon had disappeared into. He was the person she needed to talk to. Sooner or later, Cass would be able to pull Adama aside and figure out what was going on.

Anders was standing in the back of the deck, leaning against the wall. He was waiting for his wife, knowing full well that she would take her precious time. Maybe she would even walk passed him without so much as a nod. He knew that their relationship had been tough lately, but they had never been able to talk. Things just kept getting messed up - if something good happened, something bad had to get in the way. He didn't want to fight with her, but it always managed to get that way. He watch her get out of her plane and watch her walk over to where she would congratulate her wingman and fellow pilots on a job well done. _He_ would be there. She was waiting for _him_. She wasn't going to find Anders - her husband - until she was done with _him -_Apollo - hero of the Colonial Fleet.

Apollo looked up as Starbuck and Kat went over the op with a couple of other pilots, recreating the gut wrenching moves they had all been a part of. As she turned to show how Duck had swooped below the basestar just in time to pull up and take out four Raiders on his own, she stopped dead in her tracks, realizing that she was being watched. They both quickly looked away, but knew that they had caught each other. After Duck and Apollo shook hands, Starbuck turned to him and reached out her hand to shake Apollo's, but he just rolled his eyes at her.

"You know better than that," he said, as he pulled her close.

"I wasn't sure anymore," was all she could manage, as she closed her eyes and took in the moment. She reached her arms around him, as he did the same. Cass looked on curiously, and made a mental note to ask Apollo just what the frack was going on between him and Starbuck. Dee entered the deck quietly, smiling awkwardly, trying not to interrupt the pilots' celebration that was in full swing. She wanted to congratulate Apollo and the other pilots. As she glanced around the room, Anders caught her eye, leaning against the wall, a not so happy look on his face. She followed his gaze to where Starbuck and Apollo stood - a look of jealousy in her own eyes. Anders had always felt out of place when it came to Starbuck's military involvement. He wasn't a part of that. Dee had the advantage - she was military; she didn't lose anything in the translation between work and personal life when it came to her relationship with Lee. Something they didn't have in common though, was the fact that both Starbuck and Apollo were pilots, and that was a close relationship in the Colonial Fleet. After what seemed like an eternity, Starbuck and Apollo could hear the sound of someone clearing their throat - it was Dee. As they broke apart, Starbuck looked at Apollo as if to say that she desperately needed to talk to him later, without distractions.

"Damn good flying," he told her, but next time you have two Raiders on you ass, don't weave them into my squadron, got it?" he said with a smile.

"Not so bad yourself, sir, but no one's pulled a back burner without thrusters in twenty years," Starbuck shot back, nitpicking his flying technique. That was typical Starbuck and Apollo, always finding something to bitch about after a successful mission.

Dee wasn't ready to give in just yet - she was going to fight. Besides, Apollo and Starbuck hadn't spent enough time with each other in the last year to know exactly how they felt and exactly how to interpret their feelings. Lee caught Dualla's eye as she waited patiently outside of the ring of pilots. He smiled, happy to see her, and motioned her over to the group.

"Good job, Commander," she offered awkwardly. He smiled and gave her a quick kiss, before turning around to introduce her to Cass, who was only a few feet away.

"Dee, this is Lt. Meg Negalla, call sign Cassiopeia; a friend of mine from way back. Cass, this is Lt. Dualla," Lee started with an introduction. Cass shook her hand.

"They call me Dee for short," replied Dualla.

"Pleasure to meet you Dee," offered Cass, wanting a moment to pull away and ask him what exactly was going on with this woman. _Talk about a space opera,_ she thought. This was the woman that Apollo had reunited with in the hatchway on causeway B just before the op - but he had never mentioned her before. Cass wanted the scoop, and judging by the expression she had just caught on Starbuck's face, it was going to be a good story involving a lot of people.

"Any relation to Admiral Negalla?" asked Dualla.

"My father," replied Cassiopeia quickly, not really wanting to get into that now, and received the perfect distraction when Cortley shouted her name.

"Cass!" he yelled over the continued singing by Duck and Red and Rena ran up passed the pilots to see a familiar face. Cassiopeia was thrilled to see them. They had been through so much together - they were the only family that she had left. Cortley ran up to hug her and congratulate her on a job well done.

"You're forehead!" said Cortley, pulling away from her after the hug. His happiness turned instantly to worrying.

"It's nothing, really," she replied, reaching up to wipe the blood away again. She didn't want to make a big deal out of it.

"I can't believe everything that's happened," said Rena, finally able to relax.

"Special thanks to Cortley," Cassiopeia announced to the bystanders. "If you hadn't mapped out that chart of the sector, we would have never been able to launch in time and do what we just did."

"Major head trauma has no place in the cockpit, Lieutenant," said a familiar voice behind Cassiopeia. She knew that voice anywhere - it belonged to one of the most hated men in the Colonial Fleet, and yet one of the most respected - Doc Cottle.

"Cottle, had I known that you were on board I would have checked in immediately to ensure my flight status was secure," Cass said sarcastically.

"No need to get snippy, Meg, I'm only looking out for the well being of the pilots that have to fly with you," said Cottle trying to get a rise out of her. Everyone in the Colonial Fleet knew Doc Cottle. At one point or another they had a run in with him. Cass had had numerous run-ins – especially since Cottle was her mother's older brother. Back on the base in Delphi - as a test pilot, injuries were common and frequent, and Doc Cottle took them seriously, as any flight medic should. He grounded pilots when it was deemed necessary. The pilots had known when to lie and the severity of injuries in order to keep flight status - as most pilots have before - but Cottle was usually able to catch it anyways, especially when Cassiopeia was concerned. Call it an uncles intuition, he had always promised Admiral Negalla that he would help look after Cass when her mother passed away.

"I was so disappointed when you had been transferred to the Galactica; it really broke my heart to know that you would no longer be making my life a miserable hell back on base," replied Cassiopeia. Cottle returned the smile. He was relieved to see her. It had been almost two years.

"You need to have that looked at," said Adama as he approached them, a satisfied smile of his and Cottle's faces. Cottle nodded in agreement. "After the party of course," added Adama.

"Your friend Mr. Dent will be happy to see you, he's in recovery as we speak. Should be waking up shortly," said Cottle. Cortley and Rena nodded - that was their next stop. They almost felt guilty for not being down there sooner, but they had a place in the CIC during the battle and they weren't going to miss anything that was as historic as this op was.

"Attention please," shouted Adama, as everyone came to attention and quieted down. "To the Colonial Fleet, who's dedication and quick action has yet again preserved humanity to continue the quest for the survival of mankind."

"To Lt. Negalla, who's bravery and quick response to crisis has not only ensured the survival of her crew, but the Colonial Fleet, of which she is now a part of," said Hot Dog.

"To Commander Adama, who saved us from whatever the Cylons had planned, and rescued us so that we could be here with the fleet today; he never quit on us, may the Colonial Fleet in true spirit never quit their fight with those who wish to destroy us and all that we stand for..." said Cortley firmly.

"And who saved my ass - on more than one occasion," added Cassiopeia, as she raised her glass with a smile and a laugh.

"And to those who were lost today," started Apollo. "That the gods will show them favor, especially Lt. Jon Carlisle, call sign Particle, who unbeknownst to everyone here, made our victory possible by his sacrifice."

"So say we all," finished Adama.

"So say we all," shouted everyone on the flight deck as they raised their glasses in agreement and took a drink. The pilots and deck hands cheered as they all went back to the celebration. As Apollo turned away, a woman caught his attention across the deck. About ten feet away from Samuel Anders stood a blonde haired woman that Apollo could have sworn was his former fiancé Gianne.

"Gianne?" he said out loud, barely audible. Cass catch a glimpse of the shocked look on his face.

"You okay?" she asked. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"I think I have," replied Apollo quickly as he walked over to where the woman had once stood. Frantically searching the corridor, he could have sworn it wasn't just his imagination. He saw Sam there and though he'd give it a try. "Did you see a blonde haired woman, late twenties, standing here just a few minutes ago?" he asked panicked.

"My wife? Yes, I did, she was with you," replied Sam annoyed. Apollo didn't have time for this.

"Not Kara - another woman," he corrected, equally annoyed. Sam didn't answer.

"You okay?" asked Cassiopeia, coming up from behind him.

"I thought I saw her..." his voice trailed off.

"Who?" she asked.

"Gianne," he replied.

"Are you sure it was her?" asked a confused Cassiopeia.

"It was her," replied Apollo, as a curious Anders listened carefully to decipher what exactly they were talking about. _Who was he looking for?_ he thought to himself. "It was definitely her.

Next: Chapter 22 - Blue Haired Nymphs


	22. Blue Haired Nymphs

Sorry for the delay everyone! I went on a quick vacation to Mexico last week- it was the only time I could go! When you work for a minor league baseball team, the All-Star break is the only chance you have until the end of the season! Anyways, here is the next chapter, and Chapter 23 isn't too far behind. Most of it is written already. Enjoy!

**Next: Chapter 22 - Blue Haired Nymphs**

The image of Gianne had haunted Apollo for quite some time, but he had finally made peace with the idea that she was gone. Now, he wasn't so sure. He thought back to earlier on the deck - her standing there - it had been so vivid, so clear. She had to have been there, or he was going completely crazy. He could see her beautiful blue eyes peering at him, her curly blonde hair motionless on her shoulders... Maybe he should have been down in med bay getting the checkup instead of Cassiopeia. He paced the hallway waiting. What seemed like hours were merely minutes. He was waiting for Roslin to deliver the information he had requested, and he was waiting for his father to finish his briefing with the President. He was surprised he hadn't heard any screaming or shouting - that's usually how their conversations went. More than anything he wanted Roslin to arrive first - she would have the one thing he should have checked for first after the attacks.

It should have been his priority - once things calmed down. Roslin had set up the census to help people find their loved ones. _Their loved ones._ He had relied on his father to check on his mother's well being - she hadn't survived. He never thought to check on Gianne. The guilt was tremendous. How could he have not done that? He had loved her - she had been his everything. They were going to have it all, and then one day all that had changed - because he was afraid of commitment.

His cover was that he had asked Roslin for the census information for the survivors of Raptor 573, and he had listed Gianne as a relative of Meg Negalla. No one knew the truth - no one knew what he was hiding, or how he felt now that there was a possibility that she was alive.

"Commander, it's a bad habit to pace like that," smiled Roslin. He wasn't expecting her for a bit longer, but she was efficient, and he was eternally grateful. He didn't think he could have waited much longer. Her efficiency had made her such an amazing President and leader. She was always ready to get things done.

"Madame President - I mean..." began a startled Lee, but she raised her hand to signal that the fuss was unnecessary. He didn't need to be so formal.

"I have the information you requested," she said, delivering the folder into his hands. He immediately opened it and started to read the findings. At that moment, the hatchway opened and revealed a sour looking Baltar and stone faced Adama. Baltar took one look at Roslin and Apollo and decided that it be best that he left quickly.

"I'll be leaving, prepare my shuttle," requested a bitter Baltar. Something told Apollo that the meeting that had just ended did not go well. Adama nodded to his request as Baltar turned to leave.

"Debriefing, Commander," said Adama, ready to get the full story.

"Actually, Cass should be here for that," replied Apollo, not taking his eyes off of the papers inside. "I was just on my way to inform her Raptor crew of the fate of their families."

Adama knew it was important, so he nodded reluctantly. He also knew that there were things he needed to discuss with Laura, and it needed to be done quickly. Sharon had found out about Hera - and they needed to do damage control on the situation.

"Admiral, I think it best that we have a discussion first anyways," said Laura quietly. She had read his mind.

"Very well. Apollo - 2200 hours," he said quickly. Adama noticed that Apollo still had not taken his eyes off of the folder in his hands. What was he reading? Apollo turned to leave with not so much as a word, causing Adama's curiosity to spike. "Something's wrong," he said to Roslin, when Apollo was out of earshot.

"It's the census information," replied Laura. "I think he's worried about delivering bad news."

"Cass knew that her father was killed," said Adama.

"I think he was hoping that her cousin Gianne was still alive," replied Roslin sorrowfully. "The information was inconclusive. I couldn't find any records on her."

"Gianne?" asked Adama. Roslin nodded. "Besides her uncle she has no other family. It's just her and Cottle." The puzzled expression on his face worried Roslin.

"Is there something he's not telling us?" asked Roslin.

"I'm not sure yet," said Adama, knowing that something was up, and he was going to find out what exactly it was. He paused, surveying his son walking down the hallway, then realized that there was a more pressing issue. "We need to talk."

"Sharon," she said. "I know."

Apollo read the findings and saw that there was some good news for the day. Roslin had found Rena's sister Ursula aboard the Adriatic, Dent had found a few distant relatives and some close friends, and Cortley had found his ex-wife and some friends aboard the Gemenon Traveller. Then there was the name Meg Negalla. Next to her name, Roslin wrote "no surviving family." He glanced down at Gianne's name next to it and found inconclusive information. There was a chance she was still alive, but there was a chance she wasn't either. He was going crazy. He picked up his pace walking down to the med bay faster.

Cass didn't want to mention to Apollo that she thought he was losing his mind, but as a friend she felt that it was her responsibility. She was concerned when she heard him mutter Gianne's name earlier, but she hadn't had the chance to ask him about it yet. When she had been pulled out of the celebration, he had left to go speak with Laura Roslin, Caprican delegate to the Quorom of Twelve. That's why she was sitting there alone, quietly waiting for her orders. She had been in medbay for a couple of hours now, and she was starting to get antsy. They had left the landing deck on Cottle's orders, and had marched down the hallway. Cass took the time to survey her surroundings. The last time she had been on a Battlestar had been for her fathers promotion on the Atlantia. Two years ago, just before her fateful mission with the unknown Cylons. The Atlantia was her fathers ship, and was one of the newest in the fleet. One of the biggest and most technologically advanced. Everyone wanted to be assigned the Atlantia, but strangely Cass felt at home on the Galactica. Sure it was older, in need of more repairs, and it's wasn't the prettiest by any means, but it was a Battlestar, what more was needed than a willing crew?

They had come so far in the last few hours – narrowly escaping the Cylons from the planet, almost running out of oxygen while drifting in space, finding the Galactica, defeating the Basestars, and finally returning to the fleet. It was overwhelming. Dent's surgery had gone quite well, and he was recovering nicely. They had a chance to see him in between doses of pain medication, and were able to catch him up to date with what had happened. While Cass tried to downplay her heroics, Rena and Cortley bragged openly about her role in the battle. Cottle had ordered her to have a scan taken, which showed that there had been only a minor concussion, and reminded her that "she looked so much like her mother…" Cass appreciated the thought; she had barely known her mother before she had passed. Cottle was her only living relative, although she didn't know him all that well. A few visits here and there while she was in flight school, living not far from each other, an occasional visit when she was stationed on Caprica, and a couple of times when she had managed to end up in his sick bay. Family, they were, but not what one would call close. Despite having an uncle nearby, friends to keep her company, and a mission to keep her busy, Cass felt completely alone. She was ready to leave and get to work - back on duty. _Back in the fleet. _She didn't want to sit there waiting. To her left, Dent was mumbling something about Pyramid while slipping in and out of consciousness in the next bed over, and a couple of the pilots had come in after an incident in the firing range. Apparently, someone hadn't checked to see if the safety was on, and the shot had ricocheted off quite a few points before grazing a couple of the pilots. Luckily no one had been killed.

Thinking Cottle was returning to discharge her, Cass snapped to attention when she heard the hatchway open, but it was only a man coughing profusely, being assisted by a medic.

"Over here, Mr. Anders," said the nurse, as she led him to the bed across from Cass's. Anders eyes caught Cass's, and he recognized her as the newcomer. After some time the coughing started to die down, but it was clearly something very serious. Cass surveyed the new patient, taking note of his apparel - a Caprica Buccaneers shirt. "Weren't you in here earlier?" asked the medic, although she didn't really care to make conversation and didn't wait for his answer.

"Only to bring him down," said Anders motioning to Dent, still unconscious, as he laid back.

"Does your wife know you're down here?" the medic asked, but Anders ignored the question, and the medic didn't seem to press the issue after she gave him some sort of medication before slipping out of the doorway herself.

"A Bucks fan?" asked Cass - happy that someone else was in sickbay - someone awake that she could talk to. Anders laughed.

"Played for them," he replied annoyed. He wasn't really in the mood to chit-chat, but as soon as he said it, he immediately felt guilty. He didn't know her - for all he knew, she was Apollo's old girlfriend or a devoted Michael Dent fan. "Sorry, Anders, Sam Anders. Former captain of the Caprica Buccaneers." He started to extend his hand before pulling it back. "I better not shake your hand, Doc says it could be contagious."

"Thanks," replied Cass. "Lt. Meg Negalla, call sign Cassiopeia."

"The savior of the fleet," he said as he remembered seeing her on the flight deck. She had been there with Starbuck and Apollo. "I guess thanks are in order."

"No, thank you. You brought down our friend here; we got a little busy ourselves," she said motioning to Dent. Anders nodded. "Anders huh?" He nodded, and Cass laughed remembering back to Dent's stories on the Raptor when he had been trying to distract them. "You know, funny story - we were floating around in space looking for you guys, worried we wouldn't be able to make it, so we started telling stories. Dent was a Pyramid player on Aquaria, so he told us about this game they played against you guys. It's a small world when we get here and there you are." Anders nodded with a smile on his face.

"I remember that game - and I'm sure I know why he told it too - we were far ahead, and they came back and killed us. Our shots just wouldn't go in that day," he said. "You win some, you lose some."

"I was a Picon Panthers fan myself," she replied, "but I wasn't too into Pyramid. I just kept up with them in the papers."

"That's the Admiral's favorite team," replied Anders, remembering to his first meeting with Bill Adama. Starbuck had been so nervous in introducing them. It was really important to her, because of Zak. Too bad that wasn't the only Adama hanging over their relationship. He could have at least dealt with that.

"Everybody who's anybody is a Picon Panthers fan," she joked. "His son Zak was a huge Bucs fan, so the Admiral decided to start following the Panthers just to start a fun little rivalry with his son."

"So you know Apollo then," he asked, trying to get a little information.

"Oh yeah - known him for years," she said laying back. _Might as well_, she thought, _it's not like I'll be leaving anytime soon_. Our fathers were both Commanders in the fleet, so we always saw each other at the ceremony's and all that interfleet politics and crap," she replied. "They were boring as hell, but I secretly looked forward to them - our father's ignored us, so we got away with murder - the three of us." She laughed remembering all the trouble they caused. Adama hadn't really been a big part of his children's life, but Caroline had managed to drag them to every event, even after the divorce. Cass had to go - her father made her. "I'm a military brat," she sighed.

"And the savior of the fleet," he reminded her. "That's a pretty good claim to fame."

"Well famous Caprica pyramid player is a good claim to fame," suggested Cass, "even if little ole me didn't recognize the name."

"Sometimes it's nice not to be recognized, and sometimes you wish you were," he said staring off into space. As for right now, though, my current claim to fame is husband of famous star pilot," he said with a shrug. His wife was the superstar now - not him.

"Oh really? Who?" she asked, her interest peaked.

"Captain Thrace, Starbuck," he replied.

"Oh yeah, I flew with her today. Good pilot," she said as the hatch opened again. Lee Adama walked into the room, with a clipboard in hand. _You've got some major explaining to do, _Cass thought, as Apollo approached. Apollo took one look inside the room and realized that he was walking in on a conversation between Anders and Meg. It was the weirdest feeling he had had all day long.

"Doc says you're free to go," reported Apollo with a smile on his face, handing her the clipboard to sign.

"Thank the gods," she said relieved. "I was itching to get out of here – I hate med centers," she added for Anders benefit. "What now, the good old Galactica tour?" she asked nicely, raising an eyebrow for the added affect.

"One Galactica power tour coming right up," he offered. "Sure you've seen one Battlestar then you've seen them all, but never before have you been on a tour quite like this one," he joked. Cass hopped off the bed.

"It was a pleasure meeting you, Mr. Anders," she said with a smile.

"Please, it's Sam," he replied. Everyone had always called him Anders, even his wife - something he never understood.

"Well, Sam, I'm sure I'll be seeing you around the Galactica," she said kindly, with a wink. Lee and Sam glared at each other, almost as if they were saying that Cass was something else they would fight over. They had a mutual dislike for each other, with Kara in between them. Originally, Lee held nothing against Sam, and vice versa - Sam had no idea what he had gotten in the middle of when he had been rescued from Caprica a year ago. He didn't understand the baggage that Starbuck and Apollo carried. Somewhere in it all, things changed.

The tour hadn't been much - Lee was right, if you'd seen one Battlestar, you pretty much had seen them all. As they entered the officer's quarters, Cass plopped down on the first bunk they came to, exhausted. This was her chance to ask him the important questions that were accumulating in her head - this was when no other pilots or officers were around.

"Hey that's my bunk," Apollo protested, taking a seat across from her on another bunk.

"You're a commander, aren't you supposed to have your own private quarters?" she asked innocently, as she fiddled with the bunk above her.

"My ship exploded into a basestar - you do the math," he replied.

"Hmmm... bottom bunk? I thought you liked being on top," she said sarcastically, trying to egg him on. He laughed.

"Cute," he said.

"That was some tour," she joked.

"Welcome to the bunk room," he said jokingly. She sat up to face him. "I told you it wasn't going to be much."

"Well, this provides me with a perfect opportunity for you to answer all my questions," she stated quickly.

"Like?" asked Apollo, already nervous as to where this was going.

"Last time I saw you, you and Gianne were hot and heavy, now you've got something going on with that woman they call Dee, and there's definitely something there with the pilot they call Starbuck. So start explaining," she said quickly, wanting as much information as possible.

"You forgot about my affair with Racetrack, and my secret rendezvous' with former president Laura Roslin," he joked.

"You can include those too," she replied, wanting him to quit trying to change the subject. "Talk."

"There's nothing to tell - Dee and I are... involved," he said unsure of it himself.

"And Starbuck?" asked Cass.

"We have a history," he said quickly.

"Yeah, one that includes Zak," said Cass. She had known both of the Adama's fairly well. Lee didn't respond, so Cass continued. "Sorry, I didn't mean it that way." She was quick to apologize - she hadn't meant for her words to be hurtful or harsh. "You okay?" she asked, worried when his expression hardened. "You're not thinking about Zak - you're thinking of something else." _Why was it that Meg could read him so well, _Apollo thought.

"I could have sworn it was her, Cass," he said softly, shaking his head.

"Who?" she asked, and then it came to her. "Gianne? "He nodded.

"I thought she was dead, but I saw her. I saw her on the flight deck," he told her, trying to make himself believe it.

"If it was her, wouldn't you think she'd try and find you? You not exactly low profile in the fleet - she could find you if she wanted to," offered Cass. Apollo was silent. "Come on, you guys were great together!" she pointed out, not sure what had happened. Apollo gathered his thoughts before he spoke. He was about to tell her something he hadn't told anyone before. He had mentioned a few parts of the story to strangers, but never had admitted the whole truth to anyone.

"I didn't look for her Meg," he said. He sounded angry at himself, torn up about it. "After the attacks, I just assumed she was dead - I didn't look at the census until Roslin gave me the information about your friends on the Raptor."

"What?" she asked, trying to piece together what she knew of the story. "Why? Why not look for her? There's always a chance Lee. I'm the perfect example of that – everyone thought we were dead."

"Two days before the initial attacks... I... I... I left her," he finished quickly. There he had said it, it was done. No take backs.

"What do you mean you left her?" asked Cass, needing clarification, because the Lee Adama she knew wouldn't do what she thought he had said he did. Meg could hear the guilt in his voice as he said the words.

"She was pregnant," he admitted. "She was pregnant, and I couldn't deal with it. I never wanted to have kids; I never wanted..." but his voice trailed off. "I never told anyone that. I left for my fathers retirement and the Galactica decommissioning ceremony, and I never saw her again. I assumed she had been lost back on Caprica." Silence fell over the room, as the confession ringed in Cass's ears. Apollo clearly felt guilty over what had happened, but after all this time she figured he would have forgiven himself. He had finally admitted it to Meg Negalla, the one person in the world he knew would never judge him, and now, she was.

"Lee -" she started, but was interrupted by Hot Dog's entrance into the bunkroom.

"Sorry to interrupt," he said, seeing the expression on Meg and Lee's faces. "Admiral Adama wants to see you ASAP, Apollo." Hot Dog could tell he walked in at a bad moment. Meg was the first to break the silence.

"Duty calls," said Meg, trying her best to change the mood of the room - "so much for the rest of the tour!" Cracking a joke after a confession like that - it was Cass's way of letting him know that she wasn't trying to judge him - she just wanted to understand the whole story. Lee sighed, and stood up, then slapped a hand on Hot Dog's shoulder.

"I'm sure your new wing man would be happy to help you with that," he said before slipping out of the doorway. "I'll be back soon," he said as he left. Hot Dog turned to see a grin on Cass's face.

"A tour... hmmm... okay..." said Hot Dog nervously. "Where to begin..." Cass laughed. "Well what Battlestar would be complete without long stretches of hallway with nothing in them!"

"Ladies and gentlemen, well, Lady, I welcome you to the last remaining Battlestar of the colonial fleet. I ask that you keep your focus on the tour guide, and save all questions until the end," joked Hot Dog. He really liked his new wingman - she was fun. But mostly it was that she was someone new to talk to. Someone he hadn't been around that much. New was good around here because everything else was old and overdone.

"So how'd you get a call sign like Hot Dog?" asked Cass trying to make conversation as they walked down through causeway B.

"Starbuck - she was my flight instructor..." he said.

"Back on Caprica?" she asked. She had remembered she had served at Caprica fleet headquarters as an instructor - an instructor for Zak actually, if she remembered correctly.

"No - here with the fleet," he said quietly, trying to hide the embarrassment of being a washout at the academy. "I was in the first class of new pilots after the attacks - I was making an idiot of myself and she named me Hot Dog." Cass didn't think there was anything wrong with how it had played out. "I just wish that my parents could see me now - see what I've done - what I always could do, but never did while they were here."

"They know - they can see you now," offered Cass. Hot Dog wanted to change the subject quickly at first, but felt at ease by Cass's words. As they wandered through the hallway, they came across a group of pilots just finishing up a card game.

"Cassiopeia, this is Kat, Duck, Showboat, and that's Whiplash in the back over there," Hot Dog introduced to her.

"Good flying out there sir," said Kat, reaching out to shake her hand.

"Not too bad yourself," she replied.

"Hope Costanza's not boring you to death sir," joked Duck, trying to flirt with Cass. "I'd be happy to take his place if you wanted me to." Hot Dog rolled his eyes - they all wanted a chance to talk to the newcomer, but as far as Hot Dog was concerned, she was his wingman, and that was final. He would fight Duck off if he had to.

"And over here -" started Hot Dog, trying to pull her out of their reach by moving on out of the mess. "They're excited that someone new is going to be around."

"I kind of got that idea," she laughed. _Especially from Duck, _she thought to herself, smiling.

"So, what about you - Cassiopeia? Sole daughter of the sea," he started, squinting his eyes trying to think back to his schooling years. "A beautiful queen that tried to sacrifice her daughter to Poseidon..."

"I caused a lot of problems for my flight instructor – so to punish me, he was always making me run extra shifts, basically kept me busy, but always up in the sky," she said.

"Banishing – or elevating you to the skies," laughed Hot Dog. "I get it." And then it came to him - what every boy had remembered about the story of Cassiopeia, "Wait a minute, she was also a blue haired nymph that became… the goddess of fantasy!" he joked. Meg rolled her eyes - she heard that part of the story all the time.

"She whose word excels," replied Meg, trying to get his mind out of the gutter. "She was punished for trying to sacrifice her daughter, Andromeda, and was elevated to the sky - where the god of the sky gave in to her every request." Hot Dog laughed. _They were going to be really good friends_, he thought. This was a mutual feeling, as Cass felt comfortable around him. She had another pilot she could rely on so Apollo didn't bear the load all to himself. Someone else to watch her back, and more importantly, someone that didn't know her life story. "I guess my flight instructor didn't think I would amount to anything, so he just kept me busy to appease my dad."

"Well, you sure showed them, huh?" he said with a smile.

"I guess we both did," she replied.

"Goddess of fantasy," he repeated jokingly, but his laughter died down quickly when he realized where they were. His steps slowed as then came upon the site before them.

**Next: Chapter 23 - The Memorial**


	23. The Memorial

Notes: Is there a spell check on the edit/preview page? I didn't think so, but could be wrong... As promised, here is the next chapter. Working on the next ones. Still not exactly sure how long it's going to be - I keep coming up with more ideas and twists ands things I want to add. I hope ya'll are enjoying this!

**Chapter 23 - The Memorial**

Meg wasn't prepared for the sight before her. Lined up along the hallway were photos, candles, jewelry, mementos, and drawings all in memory of those who had been lost in the initial attacks. As she walked along the hallway she could see the names of the twelve colonies written up at the top of the walls – the pictures below them symbolized where the horrific events had taken place. She saw Gemenon, Aerelon, Sagittaron – Picon. Her home colony. She caught a few familiar faces in the pictures, those she had known from fleet headquarters, those she had worked with, those she had left behind.

"I think I'll give you some time," said Hot Dog in a hushed voice. He knew she wasn't really focused on anything else now. She needed to have this moment – everyone else already had their own time to mourn, now it was her turn. Hot Dog turned to walk out of the nearby hatch, but she stopped him with her words.

"Thanks… thanks Hot Dog," she said, almost trembling from emotion. This was part of the tour, and rightfully so – she needed this more than anything. He nodded and left her with a comforting smile.

Cass continued to walk the hallway brushing her fingers over the mementos and seeing the oddest things displayed on the walls. Flight patches, earrings, a wedding ring, even a toothbrush – they had all meant something to someone. Of course there were the prayer cards to the gods, statues, notes of love and well wishes in the afterlife, candles, but you could really put any item there and know that it was so powerful in the healing process. As she continued walking, a picture, larger than most, stopped her in her tracks. A picture of her father was posted underneath the heading of Virgon. Cass felt like she couldn't breathe, couldn't move, couldn't cry or show any emotion. It was all so real now. Her father was gone.

Admiral Negalla prided himself in being known as rather strict - even as a father. While his daughter had the opportunity to rebel, and did so quite often, she deeply respected her father, and obeyed him... - most of the time. He was dedicated to doing what was best for her. He never wanted to control her- he knew as well as anyone else that Meg Negalla was the last person anyone could ever control - but he wasn't going to step back and let her go wild. She needed guidance and direction just like any child did. Because it was just the two of them, when her father was on duty Meg was sent to live with her aunt Maybel in the Oasis district of Caprica. Doc Cottle and Maybel Treager- her mothers siblings - were her only living relatives. With Cottle also serving in the colonial military, and Maybel being a retired serviceman's widow, the family had strong military connections. When she was sixteen, Maybel died of breast cancer. Knowing his daughter was resourceful and responsible, Negalla had allowed her to live on her own at their home in Picon - friends from the base would check in on her from time to time, and fellow officers helped her with problems should anything come up. Caroline Adama was even known to drop in from time to time to check on the young girl, allowing frequent visits with Lee and Zak when school was out.

Being independent taught Meg to take on a new philosophy - do what needs to get done, even if you have to do it the hard way. Her father always told her that you learned and grew for each situation the gods put you in.

Meg had always been a daredevil, pushing the button to see how far she could go, and the Admiral hated that she chanced so much, or that she was willing to do stupid things that no one else would do, but slowly became more comfortable with the idea when he realized that it was a gift - and she was going to be just fine. He understood that she was an adventurer - she took after her father, and he couldn't fault her for that. He had always been the one to go exploring, try new things, get the adrenaline rush from a dangerous situation. Anytime he tried to sugarcoat the truth so things wouldn't be as harsh as they were, she would see right through it. She appreciated that her father wanted to help but knew that one day he wouldn't be there when she needed him, and she'd have to do things on her own. It was only fitting that she followed him into the service - attending the flight school at the Academy, and later going on to attend War College. She was a natural.

It didn't hurt to have connections. At first, people thought that nepotism was the only reason Meg was where she was. It took them less than a week of knowing her to discover that there was more to it than that - she was a good pilot and a good officer. After a solid career on board the Atlantia (before her father's command of the ship), and a brief stint on the Solaria, at Lee's urging she applied for a test pilot position at Delphi, Caprica. When she told her father about the new job he was not thrilled at all. The danger involved worried him tremendously - but he quickly realized that she was crafty and quick on her feet - and was born to do the job. It was her calling. After a few years of enjoying her career and working hard, the unthinkable happened. Commander Negalla received word of Cassiopeia's accident. His worse nightmare had happened - he was stunned. Something had gone wrong and he couldn't fix it. Sidelined with injuries from the accident, Cass fell into a deep depression, avoiding her friends, her father, and her fellow crewmen. No one knew how to help Cass deal, although many of them tried. Negalla saw his daughters spirits dwindle, and realized she would only be happy flying again, she just needed the courage to get back up in the air.

When it was announced he would be promoted to Admiral, she was called to be part of the ceremony. She was proud to be there for her father, although she was still not up to flying – or talking about the accident. After a discussion with his CAG, the suggestion came to him – her new post would be Cassiopeia assigned to Raptor duty shuttling passengers between the Battlestars and the colonies. Negalla knew that she wouldn't be at the job for long - she was a viper pilot first and foremost, and nothing could change that – soon she would be able to see it herself. She would hate being stuck in a Raptor for the rest of her career - _maybe it would spark interest in returning to her old job on the Solaria_ or something to that affect, Negalla would tell himself. He knew that if he got her back in the air she'd get her confidence back. He had asked her to give it a chance, and so Meg agreed to take the passengers on the fateful mission to the Priam Sector. Her last mission.

Coming across the pictures made her suddenly realize that she wasn't as prepared to deal with this as she had originally thought. She wasn't ready to say goodbye yet. She thought she was. Apollo had prepared her, but it was so much more real now, as she stared into the eyes of the picture of her father.

A man in the back of the room cleared his throat to make his presence known. Apparently he had been there the whole time. Without turning around, Cass knew immediately who it was, and felt comfort in knowing he was there.

"You put up his picture, didn't you," she said, already knowing the answer.

"He gave me my first job," replied Tyrol, "and taught me to be a better person than I was." He walked over to stand behind her, and put his arm around her shoulders. She leaned her head on his shoulders, and choked back tears.

"So that's where it happened? Virgon?" she asked quietly.

"After the President offered an unconditional surrender, the Cylons strike force continued, so your father led the way. They were just out of orbit in Virgon, so the Atlantia sprang into action to try and allow some of the civilian ships an escape route. He was a true hero."

There were three people that Galen Tyrol respected the most in the world. The first was Admiral Adama. Words couldn't describe the respect that Tyrol had for this man. He had done everything in the name of others, and led by example. He wasn't afraid to admit to mistakes, but he always corrected them if he did. Tyrol gained a lot of insight into the mind of Adama when they went to the Kobol surface to reunite the fleet. Adama put it all back together –back where it needed to be. Tyrol swore that if he was to become half the man Adama was, he would be proud. The second was Laura Roslin, former President of the twelve colonies. When she took office everyone wondered if a Kindergarten teacher could manage a fleet of survivalists. She had. She had worked tirelessly and therefore they had dedicated their accomplishments to her and her example -the blackbird. She had given them hope, so it was their turn to return the favor. The third was Admiral Negalla, the man that had given him his first job. A young boy from Gemenon had learned the tricks of the trade and had become a member of the Colonial fleet. Without Admiral Negalla he wouldn't be where he was today. He would most likely not have survived the initial attacks, and he certainly wouldn't have the experience to work as a deck chief. Admiral Negalla had the notion that everyone was important, no matter your station or calling. He made sure you felt important, and that's the thing Tyrol remembered the most.

"You know at his promotion from commander a few years ago, he came to say hello to me," started Tyrol. "There were well over a thousand people from all twelve colonies, and he went out into the crowd and personally thanked each and every one of them. He knew everyone's name, what their job was, their families, their hobbies, everything. That was so impressive, for a man of his status to know all of us, and genuinely care." That made a tear fall, as Cass closed her eyes trying to keep herself in check.

"That was the last time I saw him – just after his promotion. We left the Atlantia on the mission with the scientists," explained Cass. "It was only about a month after my accident. He told me that I needed to go, get back on my feet so I could be flying again." Cass laughed as she remembered her father's attempts to cheer her up. "He wanted me to run the shuttles between the Battlestars and the colonies for a couple of weeks before heading back to the test base."

"So I would have seen a lot of you, huh?" joked Tyrol. Cass laughed.

"He knew that I'd never take it. _You're a viper pilot Megan Sue Negalla, and damnit, there will be no changing of that fact, _he would say. He knew that I would hate flying Raptors for the rest of my life – even if I got to see you once a week," she explained sarcastically. "He offered me the job and I just rolled my eyes at him, kissed him on the cheek and told him that we'd discuss when I got back." Her voice had gotten steadily quiet as she finished.

"So, you can discuss it now," suggested Tyrol. Cass looked at him like he was insane, and that his joke wasn't really welcomed. Tyrol noticed the look and tried to defend himself. "Seriously!"

"Tyrol –" but he cut her off.

"Hey Admiral, it's Chief Tyrol. I was just here talking to your daughter – you know she saved humanity!" he paused as if he was in a conversation with Admiral Negalla in real life. "Yeah, really, she did. Amazing – she did have a little help from me – I rigged her Viper up for her," he continued. "Yep, you heard me right, a Viper – she was amazing. She flew around those Cylons like it was easy – took out a couple of them, before saving the fleet by destroying a Cylon communications ship. You would be very proud of her, sir."

"You're insane," she said, annoyed.

"Meg, don't talk to your father that way," he shot back at her with a grin, then motioned that he would wait by the hatchway for her so she could continue the conversation. Meg was beyond annoyed now – but she saw his point. It wasn't that she believed her father couldn't hear her, she knew he could - she had just given Hot Dog affirmation that his family had been proudly watching over him. It was more that Meg didn't know what to say to her father - and she wanted to make it count.

"So… Dad… I'm back…" she started, but slowly eased into a conversation with the picture. "I wish you could have been there. "The tears started to well up in her eyes. "I never got to say goodbye," she whispered. "You never got to sugarcoat this one, huh? World domination from the Cylons, and you aren't there to offer the silver lining you always had. Lee and Tyrol tell me you were a hero… Well don't worry dad – because the Adama's tells me we're going to find Earth. And I'll be damned if I'm not there – no Cylons are stopping me – I'm a Viper pilot, and we're the best. And according to you, the best don't fail." She stood there in awe of the picture, comforted by the thought that her father was smiling down on her. "I love you," she finished.

She wiped her eyes, and turned over to a smiling Tyrol, who nodded in approval at his friend. Meg realized that she wasn't finished – there was something important that still needed to be done. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the picture of her and Particle - the happier times. She looked over at the Caprica panel and saw the perfect spot for it - right next to the picture of the Secretary of Defense - Marcus Carlisle, Particle's father.

"The fireworks were fantastic," she whispered to Particle. "I don't know what else to say - it doesn't seem like it would be enough. You saved my life - I can't even begin to understand why, and I can't express my gratitude to you in a way I feel is appropriate for your sacrifice. Just know that the rest of my life is dedicated to your memory - making it worthwhile to the best of my abilities. You know the rest..." Particle knew what was in her heart - she didn't have to verbalize it for anyone's benefit. He was at peace now. Meg placed the picture on the wall and lit the nearby candle, smiling as she did so, and wiping a tear from her eye.

"So what's this about you being a dad now?" she asked jokingly as she turned to Tyrol and joined him walking out the hatch together.

"Come on, I'll introduce you to the family," he said happily.

Next: Chapter 24 - Warnings


	24. Warnings

**Chapter 24 –Warnings**

Cass had enjoyed meeting the growing Tyrol family. The baby was absolutely adorable, Cally was an absolute sweetheart, and Tyrol boasted proudly of their little one. During their brief chat the deck crew had beenin and out asking the chief questions and trying to get caught up on their work. It seems that the deck crew wasn't up to speed when the refugees from New Caprica arrived back on the ship. Each one of them was desperate for Tyrol's help. Fed up with the constant interruptions, Tryol begged Cass to stop by later to pick up where they left off and headed off to deal with his crew.Cally excused herself toreport to Cottle for the baby's checkup, so Meg jumped at the opportunity to sneak away to take a shower. Two years of dirt and grime with only a stream to wash off in didn't work all that well. Cass was almost embarrased meeting everyone - her uniform was torn, and her face was scuffed up - you could tell she'd been in a fight recently. The bandage on her forehead was a little much too. People must think she was crazy.

As she turned the hallway, Cass could see Adama and Apollo in deep discussion - their voices muffled, but Cass was still able to make out some of what they said. She ducked behind the crate in the hallway so they wouldn't be able to see her.

"Sharon has a point, dad," Apollo said sharply. "There's got to be something we can do."

"It's not the right time - we need to think this through," said Adama, clearly torn up about whatever decision he was making. "We cannot take this situation lightly. I want to talk to Cassiopeia first, investigate the recent activities, then we will readdress the situation."

"When do you want to see Cass?" asked Apollo.

"As soon as possible - before she's cleared through security and setup for flight status," replied Adama, receiving a questioning look from his son.

"What? You don't seriously think that she's a threat, do you?" asked an alarmed Apollo.

"We can't be too sure anymore," answered Adama. A couple of officers were walking down the hallway. Meg scrambled into the nearby open hatch to make sure she wasn't caught spying on the Admiral. She cursed under her breath - she couldn't hear their conversation anymore.

"Dad - it's Negalla's daughter - it's Meg," said Apollo. _How could he question someone they'd known for so long? _"Her father was murdered by the Cylons. Keep in mind this is Meg and her father - not you and me. If anyone has reason to fight - it's her."

"We don't know what happened down there on the planet. It could be nothing, it could be something. She lived with a pair of Cylons for two years - who knows what they discussed, what they had planned. It's a threat, and I want it investigated," ordered Adama. "I want answers.Even if it is Meg. I want everything covered." Apollo knew that there was no reason to argue - he wasn't going to win this one.

"Yes sir," replied Apollo, still not satisfied with his fathers reasoning.

"If you can't be objective, I'll get Starbuck to do it," said Adama, as they started down the hallway.

Cass felt like a little kid, sneaking around, spying. She heard their footsteps as they walked by the hatch, and when the coast was clear she exited,staring after the sound of their steps. _They wanted answers? _she thought. She wanted answers - and she knew that the only one who had them was the eight - Sharon. She had to get down to the holding cell that they kept her in. The corporal on duty was surprised that anyone was in the area. The only people that ever came down here were Helo, Adama, and Roslin. Only a select few.

"This is a restricted area," announced the Corporal. "No one is allowed in."

"Stand down Corporal, Lt. Negalla, here on Admiral Adama's orders," she said in a strict voice. "I'm supposed to question the Cylon and report back to him."

"I was not made aware of these orders," said the Corporal confused.

"Are you questioning me Corporal?" she asked quickly - trying to make him nervous by pulling rank on him.

"No sir, I'mjust surprised I wasn't informed. Proceed," he replied, satisfied that she was there on official business.

As she approached the cell she noticed her surroundings. It was a simple room, a bed in the corner, a discarded food tray at the foot of the bed, and the Cylon sitting in the center of the cell doing sit-ups, over and over and over again. Cass didn't know what to expect, but it definitely wasn't this. Sharon saw her approaching out of the corner of her eye and stopped her exercise routine.

"Did the other pilots tell you about the zoo? Everyone parades through here to look at the Cylon, now showing for the world to see," said Sharon sarcastically.

"That's not why I'm here," replied Cass. Sharon stared at her coldly.

"I know,"Sharon said angrily.

"Look, I don't know what I did to you personally, and frankly, I don't care, but I do want to know why your people - " started Cass, but Sharon cut her off.

"My people?" laughed Sharon. "Your people keep reminding me that we aren't people. We're machines, we have software. Right?"

"Look, I'm not here to debate the ethics of Cylons vs. Humans, I am here to find out what they wanted from me on that frackin' planet. Aren't you programmed to know these things?" shouted Cass angrily at her.

"You want answers? Give me one good reason to help you," Sharon spit out. "Your different Cassiopeia. That's why you were chosen for the mission," said Sharon, staring her down. Cassiopeia froze. "We know all about your accident and what your father did for you, and..." Suddenly, the door opened, and the Corporal and Adama stepped into the room.

"Lieutenant," said Adama. Cass felt like a criminal caught during anescape attempt. This was the last place she needed Adama to find her if he was questioning her allegiances. This wasn't going to help her case at all - for some reason he was already suspicious of her.

"Admiral," said Cass in shock. She didn't think he would head back this way - she thought he was still talking to Apollo. She didn't know what to say. "I was just..." but he cut her off.

"You're dismissed," he said without looking at her. He was staring Sharon down, trying to read her take of the situation.

"Yes sir," replied Cass as she left the room as fast as she could. Things were going to get a lot worse before they were going to get any better.

Next: Chapter 25 - Fear


	25. Fear

**Chapter 25 - Fear**

Cassiopeia knew she was busted - big time. She felt like a teenager being caught doing something inappropriate like the time her dad caught her with Curtis Blackstone. She had been locked up in her room after that incident for a couple of months. Dimming the relationship between her and her dad, things had gotten better after some cooling off time between the two. It hadn't help that he was being sent back to his Battlestar immediately after the incident happened, but Cass was sincere with her apology, and things ended up getting better. Somehow, Cass didn't think things would be getting any better now. After a few minutes of waiting, the Admiral appeared with an expression almost impossible to read.

"Admiral -" started Cass, but she didn't know what to say.

"Walk with me," said the Admiral as he headed back to his office.

"I only wanted answers," she said quietly, trying to explain.

"Lieutenant, I have chosen to keep the details of your whereabouts the last two years classified," started Adama. "The only people that are aware of that information are President Baltar, former President Roslin, Lee, Col. Tigh., and Chief Tyrol, who is giving me a rundown of the Raptor you brought back."

"Yes sir," she replied. As he continued walking, he fell silent again. Cass realized if she didn't speak up now, she might not have an opportunity to do so again.

"Sir, my behavior," she started quietly, "I was just frustrated. I didn't know what else to do. I thought she would give me some answers."

As they turned the corner they had arrived at the Admiral's quarters. Cass followed Adama into the dimly lit room and found Col. Tigh patiently waiting for them.

"We'd like to uncover your whereabouts and the events of the last two years," said Adama taking a seat behind his desk and motioning for Tigh and Cass to do the same.

"Don't you think it would be best if the rest of my crew was here?" asked Cass.

"We've already received statements from the others," Tigh said quickly, staring her down. Cass felt more uncomfortable than before. "And you're the only surviving Colonial officer from the mission," he added. Adama patiently waited for her to begin. Realizing that this would be more of an interrogation, Cass breathed in deep, and thought back to the beginning.

"Well, I was on board the Atlantia for my fathers promotion ceremony," started Cass.

"What were your orders at the time?" interrupted Tigh.

"I was on leave from the base on Delphi, Caprica - I served as a test pilot there under Major Connolly," she replied, annoyed that he had already interrupted her report.

"On leave?" he asked with a crafty looking grin - as if he was going to catch her in a lie.

"I was involved in an accident a few weeks before - Major Connolly and Captain Starkman thought it best I take some time off," she replied.

"I remember the incident," said Adam, staring down at his desk at the papers, avoiding all eye contact with Tigh and Meg. "Continue, Lieutenant." He was jotting down notes occasionally as Meg spoke.

"I was to return to Caprica the next day, after the ceremony, but at my fathers suggestion I was scheduled to fly a Raptor to the Sparta outpost in the Priam sector. My father's idea of getting me back in the air," she said trying to explain the circumstances. "He was afraid if I didn't get back into the cockpit soon, I wouldn't fly again."

"And the passengers?" asked Adama.

"Myself, my ECO - Lt. jg Jon Carlisle, callsign Particle," she replied, "then there were the civilian mission leaders, two doctors - Cylons, D'Anna and Simon..."

"The seven and the five," added Tigh quickly, reviewing his own paperwork in his lap. He had copies of the statements from Cortley, Gergone, and Dent.

"The other passengers signed up for the mission anonymously, for their own reasons, through Fleet Medical Headquarters," finished Cassiopeia. "Cortley, Silverton, Gergone, and Dent."

"Cottle confirmed that," said Adama to Tigh." Records indicate that it was approved by a quorum member from Aquaria." He and Tigh were compiling their notes.

"Right," she continued. "We boarded the Raptor only to find that Simon had been waiting on board the ship for some time. He claimed that he was worried about space travel and thought it be best to be familiar with his surroundings. Neither Particle nor I thought anything about it at the time. I only remembered it after speaking with Apollo, when he told me that Simon was a Cylon. We just planned on making a quick run; drop them off, head back to the ship. I plotted the jump, checked it twice, and everything looked fine, but when we executed the jump, there was a navigational error and we came through on the other side to find ourselves being pulled down into a planetary body."

"Where?" asked Tigh. Cass was really annoyed at this point of the questioning - the Colonel was really being a jerk about the entire situation. She was Colonial Fleet and he was treated her like a Cylon.

"An unknown planet - we named it Astrological Body MT-627 - that was the next one in the books, at the time," she replied. "It wasn't charted in the Colonial Fleet records."

"Continue," replied Adama, as if he was in a hurry to get to the next part of her story.

"As I stated already, the jump coordinates placed up in the upper atmosphere of the planet, so we were unable to pull out," informed Cass. "After the crash, we treated initial injuries and started basic survival protocol, you know, set up camp, find water, inventory supplies, etc. Then we waited. Two years later, Apollo showed up - very similar to how we got there. And that brought us here. That's our story in a nut shell."

"The Cylons, did they ever do anything suspicious, or act out of the ordinary in the two years you were on the planet?" asked Adama.

"No sir, they were part of the group, nothing out of the ordinary, until we uncovered the truth that they were Cylons and tried to get away," she replied. "They helped us." The idea was uncomfortable - Cylons helping her survive, helping her continue on in life when they had killed her father. When they had destroyed humanity. It was hard to get a grasp on the idea in her mind. Cass was confused, and the more she thought about it, the worse it was. She realized that for the rest of her life, humanity would be on the run for their survival, and that was a frightening thought.

"Explain to me how you could repair a Raptor in two days?" asked Tigh, not believing that it could be done, and still finding the young pilot suspicious.

"I had nothing to do for two years except work on that darn Raptor. It's been heavily modified," said Cass annoyed.

"You were always handy with tools," said Adama remembering a young Meg playing in her father's garage, only it wasn't playing in the sense that most kids would enjoy, it was modifying the family's truck engine. For the first time since she had returned, Adama sounded almost friendly to her. "Cassiopeia is an amazing mechanic," Adama said to Tigh.

"Pass the word to Colonel Tigh, Colonel Tigh you are need in the CIC," sounded Hoshi's voice over the loud speaker. Adama nodded to Tigh in approval that he was dismissed, and Tigh left quickly to see what the problem was.

An awkward silence fell over the room as Adama continued writing the report.

"Most people would not have survived such an experience. Fear can get the best of you," suggested Adama.

"Admiral?" she asked nervously. "If I may, a question?"

"Yes?" he replied, looking up at her.

"Fear is in the eye of the beholder. What is it that you fear?" she let out quickly, not sure if she was going to get an answer or not. After taking a moment to think about her question, he did.

"The unknown," he said. "The idea that anything can happen tomorrow, and there's nothing I can do to stop it. The future unfolds, and there's nothing I can do to change it and protect the ones that I care about."

Meg held her head down, trying to take in what he said. They were suddenly interrupted by a knock on the door, and the appearance of Laura Roslin.

"Admiral, I apologize for the intrusion, it's only that I recently discovered a clerical error on the census," said Roslin, as she breezed through the entry, a smile on her face.

"No problem at all, Laura," replied Adama.

"Miss Negalla, I was incorrect about your living relatives," started Roslin.

"Excuse me?" said Cass, surprised. Because her only living relative was Cottle, she had not reported any names to be checked in the census when Apollo had asked the others.

"Your cousin, Gianne, she isn't dead; she survived," said Roslin with a smile on her face. "And her son Billy Adams did as well." Cass's mouth dropped open in shock.

"My cousin? You've got to be kidding me," said Cass - then quickly covered when they were confused by her reaction. "I mean, I just can't believe it... You said her son Billy _Adams_?" Cass asked to verify, piecing together that this was about Lee's son - who he didn't even know existed. Roslin held out a typed sheet of paper under the heading Aerlon Drifter - Caprica, Tauron, and Sagittaron.

"Yes, Adams," she replied pointing to the name. Cass knew it was a typo - it was supposed to say Adama - not Adams.

"I wasn't aware you had other relatives in the fleet, Lieutenant," said Adama questioningly. Cass didn't answer as she continued to stare at the name - Billy Adama.

"Thank you, I really appreciate you taking the time to find this information for me," said Cass knowing that she would have to deliver the news to Apollo.

"Well, I can see I interrupted something important, I won't take up anymore of your time," said Laura, turning back to the hatch. "Admiral," she said nodding, and then left as quickly as she came.

After a moment of awkward silence, Cass was ready to leave.

"I expect your full report on my desk tomorrow," said Adama. Apparently he was satisfied with their conversation as well.

"Yes sir," she replied. As she was halfway out the door, his voice caught her off guard.

"Lieutenant, what is it that you fear?" he asked her. She replied without a moment's hesitation.

"You."

Next: Chapter 26 - Trust


	26. Trust

**Chapter 26 - Trust**

Cassiopeia didn't know what to take from her conversation with Adama. He was impossible to read, and she was already frustrated by his responses to her questions. Never before had her loyalties been questioned. _I'm an admiral's daughter – well, I was...before... _she thought as she marched down the hallway back to the senior officers quarters. On top of everything that had happened, Cassiopeia was desperate to take a shower. After being poked and prodded by the med staff for hours and questioned like a suspect by Col. Tigh, Cass was painfully aware that she hadn't showered in two years. She was ready to clean up.

The water felt great – for once it wasn't from the cold stream that was a rugged walk away from their camp. It was always so cold – they only went down to the water when they were desperate. They had been extremely lucky to find it, but then again maybe that was the Cylon's intentions. Maybe they had picked that exact spot. Maybe they had plotted it for days, weeks, months, years... The survivor's initial injuries had been somewhat serious – yet they had all survived. The fact that two of the survivors were doctors – well, Cylons, had come in handy. They had treated everyone's injuries after the crash. Apparently, they owed it to the Cylons. The thought made her cringe. She didn't want to be grateful for the people that killed her father and destroyed the human race.

As she moved she could feel her ribs aching. The adrenaline rush had worn off hours ago, and she was now aware of the aches and pains she had acquired during her fight with D'Anna and the Viper crash landing. She had a headache, and her leg was really stiff, starting to cramp up on her. Trying to work out the knot in her calf, Cass turned off the water and headed back to the bunkroom.

There had been no sign of Apollo since she'd overheard his conversation with his father. _Great – now he was worried about my loyalties too_, she thought. If he was suspicious of her and trying to avoid her, it would certainly put a damper on the conversation she was planning on having with him. Instead of getting answers earlier, she only got more questions. There was so much she needed to catch up on. She had enjoyed meeting Cally and the baby, but when she held the baby, she remembered that Apollo was a father, and he never had the chance to hold his son in his arms. And then there was the little detail of Gianne being alive.

Sharon's message rang in her ears – _"Have you ever lost a child, Apollo?"_ she had said, not realizing that he in fact had. That's why he had been acting so strange when he showed Cass her new quarters. Sharon's words had woken him up – caught him when he least expected them to, and now he was actually feeling, actually having emotions he didn't know he had. He was mourning his loss, when in reality they were both alive and aboard the Arelon Drifter.

Entering the bunkroom, clad in only a towel, she realized that all she had was her old uniform, worn and torn from two years worth of clothing all in one. No personal possessions, no comforts of home, just what she had on her person, which right now was a towel. Caked with mud and grime and things she probably didn't want to know about, she quickly tossed the uniform into a pile in the corner of the room, frustrated.

"Great," she said, what am I going to wear now?" As if he was reading her mind – Apollo arrived, new uniform in hand.

"Special delivery for a Lt. Negalla," he announced. "I'll assume you want this?" he said raising an eyebrow, as she turned to face him. He tossed the clothes in her direction.

"Thanks, I didn't really want to put those ratty old things back on," she said relieved. "Apparently, you get pretty dirty if you don't shower in two years." Apollo caught sight of her face, cleaned off, now showing the two year difference he hadn't seen before. Her expressions had always been so soft, yet now they had hardened to the harsh realities in the world. Things were different. They weren't the two carefree pilots they used to be - they were seasoned military leaders fighting in a war. Fighting for survival.

"I kind of liked the dirt smudge under your eye," he said joking, yet complimenting her. She acted as if she was trying to ignore him, making Apollo wonder what was going on. Earlier she had been the one to initiate conversation. She had a million questions – she was the one that wasn't speechless, that was him. "Is everything okay, Cass?" he asked, worried about her. She didn't answer immediately. She dressed quickly, trying to avoid any possible eye contact with her back to him.

"I'm not a Cylon," she said quickly, her back still turned to him. She caught him completely off guard.

"What?" he said, shocked. _Where was this coming from? _he thought.

"I'm not a Cylon," she repeated, determination in her voice. She stared off into space, hoping, praying that he would believe her.

"I never thought that you were," he said trying to make Meg believe him. "Where is this coming from?" She continued getting dressed, silently. "Cass?"

"I overheard the conversation you had with your dad," she said finally turning towards him.

"You don't honestly believe that he thinks you're a Cylon," said Apollo defensively.

"I don't know what I believe anymore, Lee," she replied, clearly upset with the situation.

"He just wants to know what happened - he wants to figure out what the Cylon's were doing," he said in defense of his dad.

"And I don't?" she yelled back, catching Kat and Racetrack off guard as they began to enter the room. Clearly catching the anger in Cass's voice, they turned back and left quickly.

"Cass, I know you're not a Cylon. I've known you for twenty years, and despite all of your unusual alienating habits, I'm pretty sure you're human," he said trying to reassure her. When her expression told him that she wasn't comforted by his words, he started to wonder. "Uh-oh, what happened?" he asked, knowing her, she had done something. She banged her head on the locker door in frustration. "What did you do?"

"Everything the Cylon said - makes sense! Tell me you see that!" she said desperate for validation for what she had done.

"Meg," said Apollo coming closer, hoping she would quit trying to change the subject, "tell me what happened." He put his arms on her shoulders and looked her square in the eye.

"I wanted answers," she started. Lee's expression told her that he wasn't satisfied with the response. "When Hot Dog took me on the tour of the ship, we sort of went passed the hatchway to where they keep the eight, Sharon." Lee didn't like the sound of where this was going. "After I heard you guys talking, I figured that I could sneak in and talk to her." Apollo shook his head, and paced back and forth for a moment.

"Who caught you?" Lee asked, knowing that it had happened from the sound of things.

"Your dad," she replied.

"Cassiopeia!" said Lee, knowing that this hadn't helped Cassiopeia's cause at all.

"Lee, I wanted answers. Hell, I still haven't gotten them! I want to know what the frack is going on, and I don't want to sit around and delegate everything out!" she shouted in frustration.

"You know that you could have come to me," he said.

"No I couldn't, and you know that," she replied. "Besides, I wasn't going to give you and your dad something new to fight about."

"That's not what this is about," he said quickly. Cass shot him a quick look that told him he was insane. "How far are you in your report?"

"I haven't started it yet," she replied, "I wanted to take a shower first."

"He's going to call you in for questioning soon," said Lee.

"He already did," replied Meg, another regretful look on her face.

"Frack," he mumbled under his breath. "After he caught you in Sharon's cell?"

"Col. Tigh was waiting for us, apparently he was coming to look for me," said Cass uneasy.

"And?" he asked nervously, "How did it go?" The expression on her face told him everything.

"I gave him the quick version of the last two years," she said trying to get by without saying anything else.

"Go on," he said, knowing she wasn't telling him everything.

"And I sort of told him that I was afraid of him," she said reluctantly. Lee laughed.

"You said you were afraid of him?" asked Lee, smiling, and understanding how uncomfortable Cass must have been at the time.

"I know, I know, never show signs of fear, but he scares the crap out of me!" said Meg honestly. "He has the power and authority to claim someone is a Cylon, and there is no clear way to approve or disprove otherwise. I mean what are you going to do? Take someone's word on it? It's all about trust."

"Pass the word, Commander Adama, you are needed in the CIC," sounded Hoshi's voice in the comm. "Commander Adama to the CIC." After a moment of silence, Cass continued.

"There are three things I've learned being back with the fleet," said Cass. "1. Nothings black and white – it's all gray area, 2. You have to trust your fellow man to survive, and 3. There's no one you can trust but yourself. What does that say for the survival of humanity?"

"You know what that says about the survival of humanity?" started Lee, as he walked to the hatch, "that we're going to make do with what we've got. Admiral Negalla taught me that. We make do with what we've got, and then those stupid frakkers won't be able to stop us."

Next: Chapter Curiosity


	27. Curiosity

**Chapter 27 - Curiosity**

As Lee walked down the corridor, he saw her standing there waiting, a smile on her face.

"Hi," said Dualla, leaning against the railing with her clipboard in hand.

"Hi," said Lee, a matching smile on his face.

"Been avoiding me?" she said.

"I haven't been avoiding you Dee," he said trying to reassure her. "It's just been so crazy with this whole Sharon mess, you know – the usual."

"The life of a commander," she said with a laugh. "I know; believe me, I know." Being on the Pegasus with him had definitely been a test of her patience. The crews' needs were important, and always happened to come up at the wrong moment. Now, because of all that was happening, they hadn't had more than a few seconds to celebrate his return to the fleet. Dee wanted to welcome him home, talk to him about what happened – anything, really, just to be with him, but their duties and responsibilities always got in the way. And then there was her.

"This third degree doesn't have anything to do with..." he started, but she cut him off.

"No, it doesn't," she said quickly. Apollo gave her the look that told her he didn't believe her.

"You don't see me with her, do you?" asked Apollo.

"Well, you're not celebrating right now," she shot back.

"I always celebrate with my pilots," he replied, then gave a devilish smile, "and then I celebrate with you." Dualla couldn't help but smile. He reached over to her and pulled her into his arms.

"I'm not worried about you - I'm worried about her," she informed him.

"You shouldn't be worried about anything. Look, the Admiral's promised that the second things tone down we'll have some leave," he said, trying to cheer her up. "Just the two of us, and no one in the fleet will be able to bother us."

"I like the sound of that," she replied. "It's about frackin' time," she said as he leaned in to kiss her. After a few seconds, she broke away. "Speaking of the Admiral, he's waiting for you – I just wanted a chance to see you, before I spend the rest of my life going through station reports on the other ships in the fleet," she said, waving the paperwork in his face. "It's going to be a long day…"

Lee watched her go, then turned back to continue on to the CIC. Upon entering he found the normal day-to-day operations in full swing, and his father in deep conversation with Starbuck.

"Admiral, I don't think you should take that big of a chance, especially after recent developments," said Starbuck.

"We aren't doing anything we haven't already done before," said Adama, trying to solidify his point. "We will be making minor changes, and that's why I need you."

"Yes sir," she said quickly. "Anything for you."

"You always jump at that," Adama said with a smile. "I need time to go over details, but first I need you to report to the Aerelon Drifter for me. There's been talk of sabotage aboard some of the ships' systems – I want you to check it out. Make sure there isn't any Cylon involvement," he said.

"Understood," she replied.

"You wanted to see me sir?" asked Apollo, walking toward the two of them. Adama nodded, and handed both Apollo and Starbuck a folder. Apollo already had it opened and was scanning the folders contents.

"I want you both to press the Chief in getting the report on Raptor 573 to me as soon as possible," he said.

"You're still suspicious?" asked Apollo, motioning to the folder in his hands. He was worried about Cass.

"The Cylon's thought it was so damned important - we need to know why," stated Adama. "Hopefully we get some insight from the Chief. We'll go from there."

"I'm on it," Starbuck replied. Adama started to walk away, then turned back to Lee when he realized that Lee wasn't following him.

"I'm not going to neglect security," said Adama stiffly.

"So you're saying that I am willing to neglect security?" asked Apollo. Adama was quiet. "I'm sensible in what I trust. Some things are just plain obvious."

"I've given it some thought, what I said earlier about it not mattering who it was," started Adama. "It does matter, and it does make a difference, but I refuse to neglect security. I will not profile certain types and let one slip through the cracks when it goes wrong."

"There are some people that can be out ruled," he threw back at his father. "Meg is one of those people, dad."

"I want Starbuck in on this." Lee didn't know how to react. Was his father telling him that he didn't trust him? Was he under suspicion for the time he was gone? His fathers expression was cold, almost heartless. "I know that you can be objective, but an extra set of eyes is always handy," said Adama.

"Especially if it's someone you trust," said Lee. Adama froze, and Lee knew that he had made his point. If Adama was going to out rule Starbuck, then he should have out ruled Cassiopeia. "If you're going to be suspicious of Meg then you need to be suspicious of Kara." Adama was speechless, he didn't know what to say. Starbuck stood there, confused, looking back and forth between the two Adama's.

"Both of you have your copies of the report Col. Tigh and myself have completed after our interview with Lt. Negalla," said Adama. "Dismissed." Starbuck nodded.

Lee walked out of the CIC angry, with Kara on his heels. Kara was worried about what had just happened. The Adama's had their fair share of problems, but father and son had come a long way since the decommissioning ceremony. Now, it was almost as if all their hard work was being reversed. And it was centered around Lt. Negalla. As she walked beside him, Kara became more uncomfortable by the awkward silence that was between them.

"I got the package you sent. The meds," said Kara quietly. Her voice was shaky, which caught Lee completely off guard. It was time to suck it up and say thank you. "Thanks." Lee nodded.

"I had it ready, but the Cylons… they showed up…I was afraid it was going to be too late," said Lee, sincere.

"I know," she replied, "Racetrack brought me the box while you were… missing." The ball was in his court now. The awkward silence was his to worry about. It was all on him.

"So, I had an unusual discovery. Actually, Dee did," said Lee, trying to start the conversation they both had wanted to have for awhile now. Unfortunately, now that the time was here, neither wanted to talk. "When did you switch our tags?" His pace slowed as they approached the deck.

Kara seemed uncomfortable – her cheeks turned slightly red, something Lee had never seen. Apparently, the almighty Starbuck was embarrassed.

"Switch our tags?" she asked nervously. "I... I didn't switch them... I guess they just got mixed up, you know in the officer's quarters, or something. I noticed it too, after a few days on New Caprica." Lee knew she was lying, he could always tell when it came to Kara.

In reality Kara had switched them the day she left for New Caprica. The argument she had had with Apollo didn't sit too well with her, and her pride getting in the way of apologizing. It was her way of letting him know that she had made a mistake, and that no matter what he meant something to her. To outsiders, it would seem a small gesture, but to the pilots, she knew it meant a lot more - you never went into battle without your tags. She knew that one day she would have to explain herself, but she didn't think that day would be this soon.

"Chief," said Apollo as he entered the flight deck, Kara close behind him.

Parts and pieces of Raptor 573 were spread across the floor. Two crewman specialists were hard at work inside the cockpit of the Raptor, and two others were working with the chief underneath the ship.

"This is definitely Cass's handiwork," said Tyrol, smiling. "Commander, it's magnificent."

"Magnificent?" asked Apollo, seeking clarification.

"This ship - I mean, wow," said Tyrol, still trying to form the words out. "I knew she was a good mechanic, but I didn't know she was this good."

"Who?" asked Starbuck, confused by Tyrol's lack of explanation.

"Lt. Negalla," he replied.

"Well, she was always handy with tools, and every spare second she had she was in the hanger deck tinkering away," said Apollo, reminiscing about the past.

"What's so brilliant about this?" asked Starbuck, surveying fried wires and torn cables.

"It's brilliant because she knew exactly what she did and didn't need on the ship," clarified Tyrol. "She completely bypassed the starter to tap into the code line." Starbuck didn't seem all that impressed, so Tyrol continued, emphasizing his major points. "She took basic flight systems and without any resources reworked it and made it flight worthy. She basically did what we did with the Blackbird, but solo, and from scratch. If she walks me through this, we can repair most of the Raptors we had to scrap in the past."

"Which will come in handy since the Pegasus shipyard is destroyed, and we can't produce anymore Vipers and Raptors," said Lee, adding to the importance of Meg's mechanic abilities, trying to make Kara see the bigger picture.

"You're report almost finished Chief?" asked Kara, knowing that the Admiral wanted to hear back as soon as possible, and not wanting to hear Lee and Tyrol gush about the great Meg Negalla any longer.

"Not quite. Because some of this is stuff I've never seen before, it's going to be a little bit longer than normal," he replied. "We could sure use her here, Commander."

"She hasn't been cleared for flight status, so I'm sure she'd love to have something to do," said Apollo. "I'll get her down here."

"She's meeting with Major Kelly as we speak," informed Starbuck. "First step in regaining flight status."

"Any luck on my Viper Chief?" asked Hot Dog, checking in before he was sent off to fly the CAP.

"She's ready for you," said the chief approvingly. "But go a little easy on her, she's had quite a day already thanks to Cassiopeia."

"You got it Chief," said Hot Dog, as he turned to board his Viper. "Speaking of Cassiopeia, I've been meaning to ask the CAG, when's she on the CAP rotation Captain?"

"Soon," replied Apollo, and catching what he thought was an annoyed expression from Kara. "Chief, I'll be back to see if I can give you a hand, and I'll get Cass down here to help out," said Apollo.

"Sure thing, Commander," replied Tyrol, as Lee headed back towards the CIC to speak with Hoshi about navigation. Kara saw this as a perfect opportunity to do recon.

"So, Chief, what do you know about this Cassiopeia? I mean, besides the fact that she's Negalla's daughter," asked Kara curiously.

"Ah, you know, the usual – good pilot – handy mechanic – good record, that sort of thing. I worked with her on the Solaria for a little while before she transferred down to Delphi to work on base as a tester," he said.

"So she knows Adama?" asked Kara, picking up the nearby tool kit and handing the chief what he needed.

"Yeah – I mean Negalla and Adama were both high in the fleet – the same circles and stuff like that," replied Tyrol.

"So she knew Lee?" said Kara, as her heart sunk.

"Yeah, I guess so – I never put them together until now, but apparently they were friends before the end of the world - well, you know, the Cylons," he said with a reluctant look.

"You think that's strange? That he never talked about her?" she asked.

"Not really – I mean I knew of the old man, but I didn't know Apollo until the attack on the colonies. It's a small world – only a couple of degrees of separation between humanity," he pointed out, making his point and realizing that Kara was jealous at the same time.

"It's signed, sealed, delivered, official… I think you get the point," said Cassiopeia walking towards the Kara and the Chief, a huge grin on her face. "Major Kelley approved."

"Congratulations Lieutenant," said Tyrol with a smile.

"Why thank you Chief. Major Kelley suggested I would find the CAG here on the flight deck. I was hoping to get on the CAP rotation as soon as possible," Meg said to Kara.

"I'll have to review with Major Kelley and Admiral Adama both. I'll contact you when you've been assigned," said Starbuck coldly. Tyrol and Cassiopeia both picked up on the attitude, but Cass wasn't too worried about it.

"Captain Thrace, your shuttle is ready to take you to the Aerelon Drifter," said Selix, ready to get her set up for launch.

"The Aerelon Drifter?" asked Cass, recognizing the ships name from Roslin's census report. It was the ship that Gianne was staying on. "Need a co-pilot?"

"And if I did?" asked Kara, definitely not in a good mood.

"I'll fly with you," suggested Cassiopeia, a challenge in her voice. "Not that you need a co-pilot, I'm sure, but I sat around for two years, and I'm ready to get back into the routine of things."

"What's so special about the Drifter?" asked Starbuck, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"I know someone aboard," Cass replied.

Kara paused, looking her over, then nodded. If she said no, her actions would be questioned, and Kara didn't want to get into her jealousies and insecurities, especially in front of the Chief. Maybe she'd talk and Kara could get a better idea of the situation between Cass and Lee, or even Cass and Adama.

"Let's go," said Kara.

Cass nodded, and followed her over to the waiting Raptor. This was her opportunity to scope out things and find out for sure if Gianne was in fact alive and well, living on the Aerelon Drifter. If she could get in and see for herself that Gianne was alive, then she would tell Apollo. Otherwise, if it wasn't true, he never needed to know. He'd mourned her once, and she wasn't going to make him do it again.

Next: Chapter 28 – Sharon's Suggestion


	28. Sharon's Suggestion

My deepest apologies for the delay in this chapter being posted. I know, I know, it's been a month. It's the time of year when baseball season and football season overlaps - which spells certain doom for those of us that work in the sports industry and have to go from one stadium to another, and then are up late at night reconciling ticket sales! This chapter will be short, but another one will be along soon. I hope you enjoy.

I had previously stated that this story would be complete before season 3 began, however, it doesn't look to be that way since I have so many loose ends, and so many ideas still to come. We'll just have to see where it takes us!

**Chapter 28 - Sharon's Suggestion**

Sharon sat quietly, waiting for Adama to say something. Anything. Adama had been sitting across from her trying to read her; trying to figure out what she had just told him. After what seemed an eternity, he cleared his throat, gently removed his glasses to rub his eyes, and let out a loud sigh.

_Something's coming. _Her words rang in his ears as he contemplated his next move.

"What do you mean something's coming?" asked Adama, not in the mood to play trival games with prisoners.

"Just as I said, something's coming," she replied.

"Why do you choose to tell me this now?" asked Adama, refusing to look at her.

"Why do you choose to lock me up?" snapped Sharon.

"You're going to have to be more specific than 'something's coming'," said Adama.

"Something's coming."

"Put yourself in my shoes," said Adama, as he put his glasses back on.

"I would never want to be in your shoes; you're a liar," Sharon stated coldly. "My daughter was never dead. You kept her from me, and you kept her from Helo, just because you fear the unknown and can't handle an unprecedented situation."

"If you had to base your decisions on the survival of your race - would you trust your enemy?" asked Adama shouting at her, as he slammed his fist into the table.

"I would never trust humanity after what they did to me," said Sharon angrily, "but sometimes you have to compromise for the greater good."

"So you've decided to help us now?" asked Adama, still angry, yet confused.

"Your survival means my daughters survival. She is somewhere in the fleet," said Sharon with triumph in her eyes, as she leaned over the table and challenged Adama. "If my daughter is to survive, then this fleet must survive what is coming for them." Adama, knowing she was right, found himself in unfamiliar territory. This was something that needed to be thought about carefully. He rose from his chair, surveying her one more time before walking slowly towards the door. "My suggestion to you is to come back when you're willing to negotiate."

"With that as the only thing to go on, we won't be talking anytime soon," said Adama.

"You thought what happened earlier was a standard op with talented pilots? You aren't as smart as you think you are," laughed Sharon. "God will send you a sign, and you will know." Adama started for the door, as Sharon's eyes followed him across the room. "And the Lords appeared before them, delivering in hand a sign of the Gods; and as the sign materialized before the leaders, they found it encircled in the flames of Hephaestus. The leaders refused such an unworldly gift, and they were punished for their disbelief in the gods; as the gods placed the leaders and their peoples into exile, they offered a sacrifice of the ram, but the gods denied the people. Prophetess Pheme was granted a vision of Athena and Artemis vanishing in the sky, and it was feared that they would be lost forever, abandoning the lords in their banishment." While scripture had never been his strong point, Adama instantly recognized the passage that Sharon was reciting. "You should take my suggestion seriously."

Next: Chapter 29 - The Ram and the Sacrifice


	29. The Ram and the Sacrifice

**Chapter 29 - The Ram and the Sacrifice**

An awkward silence filled the cockpit.

_Only two more minutes,_ Cassiopeia thought as they worked their way over to the Aerelon Drifter. _We're only 2 minutes out - you can go two more minutes without conversation; we've already had six minutes of awkward silence,_ said Cass trying to convince herself. After being away from humanity for two years, one tended to have questions they wanted answered. Kara Thrace was a good candidate for conversation - she knew a lot about the inner workings of the fleet, but Cass could tell that Kara was uncomfortable with the situation, and clues told her it was because of Lee.

As she scanned the area ahead for the Aerelon Drifter, she caught Kara staring at her out of the corner of her eye. Knowing she was busted, Kara quickly got back to work.

"Aerelon Drifter, this is Raptor 2935, call sign Starbuck, two minutes out," said Kara into the comm.

"Raptor 2935, this is the Aerelon Drifter, we have you on Dradis and await your arrival. Docking station 2, port side," said the control officer. Cass adjusted the setting accordingly.

Silence.

_This is going to be the longest two minutes of my life, _thought Cassiopeia.

"Back in the routine I see," Kara said quickly; she wasn't sure if it was a good way to start a conversation, or if Meg would even want to talk to her, but what was done was done. Kara imagined that by now her reputation had reached the ears of the new pilot, and sometimes, that wasn't a good thing - especially if that person was close with Apollo.

"Yeah, back in the habit. Just like the good old days," replied Cass, her response equally as awkward. "Doesn't feel like I've been sitting out for so long." Kara nodded. This wasn't an enjoyable experience at all, and neither woman really knew why. There was no sign that this was going to get any better. "You glad to be back too?" asked Cass.

"Be back?" wondered Kara out loud.

"Rumor has it that you were down on New Caprica - part of the colonization," replied Cass, hoping she hadn't gotten her information mixed up. Cass had been analyzing the parallels from the New Caprica colonists to her own experience of being stranded with limited resources on an unknown planet. Cass had heard the stories of their occupation, but she'd also heard the stories of their rescue. The colonists had volunteered to be there - it was a request. Cass never asked to be part of a Cylon plot, and she certainly never volunteered for such a mission - she was forced to take it by the Cylon agents.

"Oh, right," said Kara as she remembered back to the time spent on New Caprica. It had only been a few days that she had been back, but it seems like a lifetime. "So, you have family on the Drifter?" asked Kara casually, trying to ease into a different conversation. "I guess someone mentioned a cousin?"

"No, I ah... well, I'm kind of checking up on a friend," she replied. "Someone I knew back on Caprica. Someone mentioned it was a cousin, but it isn't." Kara's jealousies and insecurities started to fade. _Probably_ _a boyfriend, _Kara thought, smiling to herself - _so maybe I will get a better idea of what's going on between her and Lee_. "My family's gone. The attacks." Kara nodded. Billions of people in just a matter of minutes. Even though Kara hadn't lost family, she had lost many friends, and many co-workers. Cass had lost her father, her friends, her co-workers, and two years of her life. "So you made it back to Caprica after the attacks?"

"Yeah," said Kara somberly. "Not a lot left - the toasters pretty much took care of everything." The mood was turning from awkward to grim.

"And that's where you met your husband?" asked Cass.

"What?" asked Kara, losing her focus, taking a minute before she got back on task. "Oh, yeah, my husband." _Samual T. Anders - you are married to Samual T. Anders,_ she repeated over and over in her head. "How did you know that?"

"I met him in the medbay - you know, when he wasn't feeling well earlier," said Meg, trying to figure out why Kara didn't keep tabs on her husbands' whereabouts.

"Right," said Kara, trying to convince herself that she knew what was going on, and getting mad at herself and Meg because the other woman knew more than she did.

"So, you and Lee..." started Kara, but she didn't know what to say next.

"Huh?" Meg asked, wondering how they jumped from Caprica, to Kara's husband, and then onto Meg and Lee.

"You guys seem pretty close," she said quickly, testing out Cass's reaction.

"Yeah, I guess. A lot of history, that sort of thing," said Meg finally picking up on what Kara was doing. "The crazy Adama family." Kara laughed.

"Zak and I, we were..." started Kara.

"Engaged, I know. Lee told me. Actually, Zak told me years ago, but we never got the chance to meet," replied Cass. After taking a second, she continued. "I wasn't able to go to the funeral - I was stuck on Sagittaron and couldn't get away. It really hit hard though..." Kara nodded. "We were close – our families."

"I thought I knew the Adama's, but apparently, I don't know everything I thought I did. Sometimes there's going to be that one thing that will just jump out and surprise you," said Kara.

"Look, I'm just going to come out and say it," said Meg, clearly cutting into the subject a lot faster than either of them expected. "I've known Lee for a long time, and not that I'm an expert on him by any means, but I would say that for a man as impossible to read as Lee Adama, I think I read him pretty well, and I just want to know what the frack in going on between you guys." Her language and tone caught both of them off guard. Cass never had the intention of sounding as harsh as she did.

"Excuse me?" asked Kara sharply. Cass had caught her completely off guard.

"Your married. Lee's with Dualla. What _are_ you trying to do?" asked Cass bluntly.

"Nothing that concerns you," shouted Kara, defensively.

"Does it concern your husband?" asked Meg.

"You don't know anything about me," Kara spit back furious that this woman was analyzing her life.

"From what I got, you're under the impression that I'm a threat to you," said Meg. "Whether I'm linked to Lee romantically, or just as a friend, that bothers you. I'd think someone like you would see that Dualla's more of a threat - "

"You have no idea what we've been through - " started Kara, but Meg cut her off.

"I don't need - " but she was cut off as well by the deck captain of the Aerelon Drifter.

"Raptor 2935, approach starboard landing bay, hands-on approach, speed one zero two, checkers red, call the ball," said the deck captain.

Cass and Kara both clicked the comm to answer the deck captain, but stopped when they realized that the other was doing the same.

"You're the CAG," said Meg, gesturing for her to go ahead. "I'm just the co-pilot today."

"Starboard landing bay, hands-on, speed one zero two, checkers red, I have the ball," said Starbuck, adjusting her speeds and entering the hanger deck.

"Raptor 2935, lock secure – deckhands report to 2935," said the Deck Captain. "On behalf of the Drifter, we welcome you aboard our ship, sir."

The two women sat in silence as the carrier came over and brought their ship to it's docking location. Waiting patiently, Meg couldn't help but wonder what was going through Kara's mind. As they came to a stop, Kara lifted the console and headed over to the doorway without so much as a glance towards Meg.

"I assume you have your mission to take care of, Captain," said Cass with a lot of attitude behind her words.

"I do, as a matter of fact - urgent Cylon security matters, something Adama has entrusted me to do," spit Kara back at her. "Apparently, that's something that lacks between you and him – the trust factor."

It took all of Meg's strength to refrain from hitting the woman standing in front of her.

"Adama trusts me to clean things up, not you fracking up a simple transport mission," said Kara.

"And Lee trusts me, not to frack up everything and everyone in the universe," said Meg bluntly. "Don't let me get in your way - what with that urgent cylon business. I'd hate for someone to get hurt," Meg threw back at her as she turned to walk away.

"One hour, Negalla. One hour," shouted Kara after her. Kara was furious at this point, and couldn't get her mind off of what Meg had said on the Raptor. Meg continued away from Kara, knowing that she'd made her point and that the damage had been done. If the crew of Galactica had been around, bets would have been placed, and the fight would have sold out of tickets. Meg saw a woman leaving a hatchway and thought it best to ask for directions. Focusing on her goal of finding Gianne, Meg forced Kara from her mind - she had more important things to worry about. The argument with Thrace would have to continue later - especially if Gianne was here - it would be fuel to add to the fire. Meg failed to notice that Kara had started to follow her.

"Excuse me, I was hoping you could help me? I'm trying to find someone - a friend on this ship. Any idea as to how I could track her down?" asked Meg.

"Sure," said the woman, trying to juggle the bag in her hands and the small child at her feet. "The deck controller, Mr. Funle, he represents our ship for all matters to be taken to the Quorom or Colonial One. He keeps all our records. Room 2E – behind you – that's his office."

"Thanks," said Meg as she offered a smile before turning to the man's door frame to knock. Kara's curiosity was growing by the minute as she followed behind Meg, unseen.

"What now Cor-" but he stopped abruptly when he saw Meg; not expecting the stranger at all. Taking off his glasses to rub his eyes, he let out a sigh. "Sorry, I thought you were my pesky neighbor Corin Walsh. Talk about conspiracy theories. Can I help you?" Then suddenly noticing the insignia on her uniform, his expression grew more concerned. "Lieutenant?"

"You can actually," said Meg, trying to calm his fears due to her uniform. "I'm looking for a friend, Gianne Cartrou? She lives here aboard the Drifter. I found the records in the census?"

"Anything else for me to go by?" asked the man as he typed the information into his listing to begin the search.

"Yes, she has a son, Billy. Billy Adams," replied Cass as the man continued to work. "At least that's what was listed on the census record. It should read Adama, not Adams." It took all Kara had in her to keep from making a sound. Funle laughed.

"As in Admiral Adama? On the Galactica?" joked the man, not realizing that Cass was serious.

"Just find the record," ordered Cass, clearly not amused. She wasn't wanting to cause rumors, she just wanting the information.

"I pride myself in knowing that there isn't a single error in my record keeping. If it says Adams, it's supposed to say Adams. I don't make mistakes," spit Funle, not amused that the young Lieutenant was questioning his work.

"You're starting to make one now by agitating me. Find it," said Cass, not in the mood to debate mistakes.

"Here we go. It says a woman, G. Cartrou, and her son, Billy _Adams, _currently reside on Deck 7 - room 389 with two other families. It's listed here that she does laundering services for the ship - you can find her in the common room on G9." Kara took off. Meg was certain to go there next, _I might as well get a head start, _Kara thought

"Thanks," said Cass as she rushed out the door. Those that thought Galactica was hard to navigate had apparently never been to the Aerelon Drifter. As Cass roamed the hallways, she found herself constantly turning around and retracing her steps after coming to dead ends, or approaching maintenance closets. Kara hadn't had much better luck, but the head start helped her out tremendously. When she arrived at the common room, Kara found the women busy at work with their backs to her, making it easy for her to slip into the corner closet where the controls were located. She managed to do it completely undetected. She found herself in the perfect position to eavesdrop on whatever Cass was doing there - and maybe just find out about this Billy Adama kid. Was he Cass's? Did she and Lee have a past? How old was this kid? Who is Gianne Cartrou? What the frack was going on? _Too many questions, and not enough answers,_ thought Kara.

Finally, Meg arrived at her destination, and the thought struck her that she didn't know how to approach the situation she had jumped head first into. Standing across the room, was none other than Gianne, hard at work with two other ladies, while a couple of small children were playing with toys underneath the nearby table. Before Meg could take a step back out of the doorway, one of the women caught sight of her.

"Can I help you, Lieutenant?" asked the woman.

"Uh..." Meg was speechless. Gianne instantly recognized her, but couldn't believe her eyes.

"Meg Negalla?" asked Gianne, in a state of shock, slowly walking towards her in the doorway, before stopping dad in the middle of the room, not more than a few feet from the young children playing near the chairs.

"Gianne..." was all Meg could manage.

"Gianne, is everything okay?" asked another one of the women, following her out of concern.

"Cassiopeia?" asked Gianne again, as if she was seeking confirmation that it was in fact Meg standing in front of her. Meg nodded.

"Mama?" asked the little boy in the corner, catching everyone's attention. "I'm hungry, mama." Meg did a double take - there sitting in the chair across the room was little Billy Adama. The blue eyed, brown haired spitting image of his father - Lee. Kara gasped - he looked exactly like the pictures of Lee as a child. Kara remembered seeing them when she had first met Zak's family. Gianne froze. Meg could tell that this was not her ideal situation. She was obviously keeping certain things a secret - and her son was one of those things.

"Sweetheart, we'll go get something as soon as work is over for the day, okay?" Gianne said calmly, not sure what to say next. She nodded to the other women in the room that she was okay and could handle the situation. Turning back to Meg, she said the only thing that came to mind. "I thought you were dead, Meg."

"That's funny, I could say the same thing about you," said Meg, trying to sort everything out in her mind. "Tell me you have a good reason why you're here on the Drifter instead of - "

"The Galactica?" Gianne finished. "My place is here with my son." She shook off the thought before Meg could respond, and got back to her work. "You disappeared two years ago - what happened?"

"Cylon induced accident. I spent two years on some planet before we were rescued. Lee found me," replied Meg.

"Lee found you?" asked Gianne, slowing in her work.

"He's good at that, you know... finding people. He would have found you - " said Meg concerned.

"He hasn't yet, so obviously he hasn't tried that hard," said Gianne, a sarcastic smile on her face.

"You don't give him enough credit. He searched the census for you - Billy's name is listed as Adams, not Adama," Meg informed her, handing over the paper from her flight suit pocket. Gianne reluctantly took the paper and saw for herself. Gianne fought off her emotions as they caught up with her after all these years. As much as she tried to push all thoughts of Lee Adama out of her memory, she found herself assaulted by them every time she looked at her son.

"He doesn't need this - not now. He's got the fleet to worry about," said Gianne, trying to fight back the tears forming in her eyes.

"But he's worried about you," replied Cass. "The jumps yesterday? They were because Cylons showed up – and one of them gave us a warning. It was a cylon named Sharon, who had her child taken from her. It really hit him hard, Gianne. He finally had a chance to mourn, and it turns out that all this time he has a son, and he's alive? He deserves to know."

"Oh my gods," said Starbuck loudly, as her mouth dropped open in shock. It was in that moment that Kara realized she didn't know Lee as well as she thought she did. And for one of the few people in the fleet that knew his at all, she felt completely helpless. She didn't realize how loud her voice had carried until she saw Meg and Gianne staring at her from the other side of the room.

Suddenly a distant rumbling caught everyone's attention.

"What was that?" asked one of the women that Gianne worked with. Without so much as a second thought, Meg and Kara sprang into action, pulling their sidearms and peering out the hatchway to investigate.

"Fancy meeting you here," said Meg.

"We'll deal with that later – you've got some questions to answer," said Kara, as they continued to scan the hallway.

"Mommy?" asked a small voice from behind the two pilots. "What is that light?" asked the little boy as he pointed to a flashing light in the corner of the room. Meg and Kara turned just in time to see the final signal light flash.

"No!" they shouted in unison just before a massive explosion overtook the room.

Next Chapter: Chapter 30 - The Flames of Hephaestus


	30. The Flames of Hephaestus

Author's Note: The next chapter is almost done - they were originally going to be put together, but it worked better separate. I see the light at the end of the tunnel, but it's a long tunnel, with a lot of resolution. I hope you enjoy!

**Chapter 30 - The Flames of Hephaestus**

"And she recited that specific passage from the prophetess Pheme?" asked Sarah, concern in her eyes. Adama's meeting with Vice President Zarek and Gemenon representative Sarah Porter had only started moments ago. At Roslin's urging, Adama felt it was time to ask Sarah Porter for her help. She was a Gemenese woman who knew the scriptures very well, and in light of Sharon's last revelation, he thought it best to see what Sarah's interpretation was.

"As you can see - " started Laura Roslin, before the alert system interrupted. Something was wrong, and Adama was afraid he had waiting too long in asking for help. He rushed out the door and down the hallway to the CIC.

"Two incoming Cylon raiders, bearing 624 carrem 9," reported Dee as the Galactica CIC sprang into action.

"Launch the alert fighters," ordered Tigh, as Adama entered the room. "Begin jump prep."

"Damage report?" asked Adama as he entered the room with Lee at the exact moment.

"Aerelon Drifter has confirmed they've been hit, sir" replied Dee.

"Get those civilian ships out of here!" he shouted as navigation and communications worked overtime to get the appropriate coordinates to the right ships.

"The CAP is already responding, and the reserve fighters have been deployed," shouted Hoshi, reporting in.

"Hot Dog, Red Baron, and Showboat," informed Lee, making sure his pilots were covered. He grabbed the comm to get in touch with his lead pilot. "Showboat, combat landings as soon as they are all clear," he said.

"Yes sir," she replied as the pilots were joined by the alert fighters and made sweeps through the fleet to ensure the civilian ships could safely jump away.

Vice President Tom Zarek sat with Sarah Porter and Laura Roslin in the Galactica conference room near the Galactica CIC listening to the events unfolding over the wireless.

"Flames are overtaking the port side of the Aerelon Drifter," shouted Hot Dog, passing on the information. "They'll be the last to jump."

"Another sign from the Gods," said Sarah softly, bowing her head. **_"And the Lords appeared before them, delivering in hand a sign of the Gods; and as the sign materialized before the leaders, they found it encircled in the flames of Hephaestus."_**

"The Drifter has sealed off the fire, prepping for jump..." reported Showboat. "Jump complete for all civilian ships - combat landings!" she announced as the pilots returned home. "Galactica, all birds are home, repeat, all birds are home."

"Stand by for jump," stated Hoshi, and with that they were gone.

Next Chapter: Chapter 31 – Artemis and Athena


	31. Artemis and Athena

Author's Note: The Athena reference in this story has nothing to do with the Athena reference (Sharon Agathon) in Season 3 - this was done separately, and therefore it is not associated with Sharon Agathon at this time. As most of you know, Sharon and Helo are not married in this story, nor are Lee and Dualla. As I randomly like to mention, to cover my bases, I do not own BSG or anything in it or like it - I do not profit from this, I just enjoy it.

**Chapter 31 - Artemis and Athena**

Everything happened so quickly, Kara couldn't think straight. It was as if she couldn't move, and the only thing she could hear was the sound of her rapidly beating heart. One minute she was thrown against the wall of the hallway, the next she was being dragged down the hallway, away from the smoke and fire pouring out of the converted washroom she had been standing in moments prior to the blast. As if the scene all of a sudden sprang to life, loud shouting noises could be heard as civilians ran through the hallways screaming in terror. Kara looked up and found that it was Meg who had dragged her away from the open hatch.

Meg, who had found herself thrown down only feet from Kara, though fast and gathered all the strength she had to pull Kara away from the smoke and fire, not sure if Kara was conscious or not.

"Cassiopeia?" shouted Kara, but Meg didn't respond, leaning against the wall over a slumped Kara. Apparently unable to get Meg's attention, Kara's eyes wandered around their surroundings, as emergency personnel dashed by them with the fire equipment to put out the blaze. Meg was in shock and the blast had been deafening. She couldn't hear a thing going on around her. There was a calming sense that came over her as she watched everything unfold before her, almost as if it were in slow motion. Meg flashed back to the moments following the crash on the mysterious planet she had spent the last two years. An odd sense of deja vu overcame her.

"Lieutenant?" asked Kara again, this time grabbing Meg's arms and shaking her to get her attention. She received an empty stare as her only reply.

"Captain?" shouted Meg, confused, and louder than intended; her hearing still not back to normal. She held her hands up over her ears trying to force them to respond, but there was still a constant ringing. Holding her forehead in her hands, and closing her eyes, Meg tried to process exactly what had just happened.

"Lieutenant," said Kara again, not really with a purpose behind her statement. She didn't know what to say next. She could now feel the cool, wet drip on her face coming from a deep gash on her cheek.

"Captain?" said Meg as she brushed the debris off herself, looking to Kara for a command or advice of what to do next, unable to fully grasp their situation.

"The children!" shouted a woman, as she coughed repeatedly, choking on the smoke, as she fell out of the fiery room. "The children are still inside!" she cried as an emergency responder pulled her away to give her assistance. That's when it hit Kara - they had been standing in the makeshift washroom talking with Gianne. There had been 4 other women in the room, and at least 5 children playing in the corner.

"Oh my gods," whispered Kara as the shock caught up with her and she realized what had happened; they were under a Cylon attack. "Lieutenant!" shouted Kara, wiping blood from her face. Signaling to Meg that they needed to go back in and assist the rescue operations, she jumped to her feet and pulled Meg behind her as they ran to assist those still trapped in the room

It had been a bomb - there was a Cylon agent aboard the Aerelon Drifter, and she was supposed to come to the ship to investigate. If only she had been there sooner, and more concerned about the Cylons than Meg's mysterious mission. Kara caught the attention of one of the emergency responders as they followed her into the smoky corridor. Without even thinking, Meg and Kara ran into the room frantically searching, trying to find anyone, but especially Gianne and Billy who were still unaccounted for.

Rushing to the rescue, they got into the smoky, hazy room only to be hindered in their search by the conditions of the converted washroom. The smoke burned at Meg's eyes as she tried to find anyone that she could. Barely able to see and unable to hear the cries for help, Meg felt helpless as she crawled through the room slowly. Rounding a corner, she felt her ankle give, and dropped, realizing that she had stepped on someone. Lowering herself to the ground, she could feel that of a human arm - one of the victims. As she pulled herself around, Meg grabbed a hold of the woman's arms from behind and dragged her out of the fiery room. Greeted at the doorway by a Marine emergency tech, she handed the woman off before running back in. Glancing back one last time before disappearing around the corner, Meg could see that it was an unconscious Gianne that she had pulled to safety.

One by one the victims were taken to emergency personnel to be evaluated. Through the thick, hazy smoke, Meg wasn't able to see more than a glimpse of those stuck inside the fiery room. Frantically searching for Lee's son, she collided with Starbuck, holding an infant in her arms. With the conditions worsening, they were forced to retreat and made their way to the doorframe to get air. Afraid that Lee's son was still missing, Meg turned to dash back into the room, but a Marine stopped her. Immediately behind him, a stretcher carrying the dead body of a young woman was pulled from the still smoking room.

"Everyone has been accounted for - they're all out," said the Marine, as he grabbed Meg's shoulders from behind and pushed her down the hallway, towards the med clinic. Her ears still ringing slightly, she had caught every word that the Marine had said. Slowly, she was beginning to get her hearing back. Kara, who had handed the infant girl to someone for help was also routed to the same room, following the stretcher of a dead woman. The woman seemed somewhat familiar to Starbuck, but she didn't know for sure who she was. All she knew was that she had met the woman on New Caprica but couldn't recall her name.

Finding themselves in the clinic, the two pilots were pushed into the waiting room chairs as the medics sprung into action. Gianne was being tended to by one of the doctors aboard the ship, and another woman was critically injured, but receiving care from one of the nurses who thought she had a chance to make it. Two of the children were being examined - one screaming hysterically, and another sitting quietly in shock.

"Captain, we've retrieved all survivors," started the leader of the emergency response squad, reporting in to Starbuck, as she was the senior officer. "There were two casualties, a middle-aged woman and a child." Meg sprang up, searching the room for confirmation that Billy was safe, praying that he wasn't the young victim. With almost perfect timing, a marine walked into the med center holding a hysterically crying Billy Adama in his arms, as he tried to calm down the young boy. Another Marine standing behind him holding the infant girl that Starbuck had rescued moments earlier.

A woman ran in to check on the survivors - she too had been in the bombing; no severe injuries, but hurt nonetheless. She immediately took the infant into her arms as she tried to ease her fears.

"Where is she? Where is Maya?" cried the woman, as she held the infant in her arms. "It's okay, Isis, it's okay, baby."

"I'm sorry," said the nurse, sadly, motioning to her lifeless body that had been carried in on the stretcher. "She didn't make it."

"No, no... no..." cried the woman, her pain evident. "Maya - no!"

Starbuck, triggered by the woman's name, remembered meeting Maya from her time on New Caprica. She had been a friend of President Roslin's. As the woman's cries continued, a marine standing in full battle gear, picked the infant child out of her arms so she could regain her composure for the children. She calmly patted the woman's shoulder, trying to soothe her as a soldier would.

"Maya Sorebreen," said the nurse, "declared officially dead as of the 2nd solstice. May she be in the gods favor."

"Gianne?" asked the woman in between sobs, as one of the nurses pointed towards the doctors working feverishly trying to save Gianne. Starbuck and Cassiopeia just looked at each other, unable to say anything. Gianne was in critical condition, having jumped in front of Billy, shielding him from the bomb. The outlook was not good.

"Get Doc Cottle over here," ordered Meg to one of the nearby Marines, who immediately ran over to take the comm and deliver the news that Doc Cottle was needed aboard the Drifter.

"Our jump was successful, but I'm sure you both want to be back on Galactica as soon as possible to report in," said the Marine holding Billy. "You have an open window to leave." Not certain if it was the phrase the Marine used, or the way his voice sounded, Meg's head snapped over to the Marine who had just spoken, eyes wide, a scared expression on her face. It was all too familiar because it was something Particle had said to her earlier; _We've got an open window to leave..._

The Marine, whose face was covered by his gear revealed a small, sly smile, as he walked out the door, the other Marine right behind him.

"Gods, no..." mumbled Meg in shock, "he's a... he's a -" but she wasn't able to say the word.

"Lieutenant?" asked Kara, obviously bothered by the expression on Meg's face as she ran to the door.

"Cylon!" shouted Meg, finally able to say the dreaded word, only to see the Marines carrying Billy and the infant as they ran down the hallway. Kara, right behind her about to give pursuit at the word Cylon, pulled Meg back just in time as the second Marine opened fire.

"This is Captain Thrace, ground all ships leaving the Drifter - no one is to get off this ship without my authorization!" she shouted into the nearby comm before both her and Meg were out the door, slightly limping from their injuries, sidearms drawn ready to rescue the two small children.

It was as if the two Marines and their young hostages had disappeared. Not finding any trouble navigating through the ship this time, Meg and Kara raced through the hallways towards the flight deck ready to take on an entire army of Cylons is necessary. It was all happening so fast that it was practically a blur. Meg's thoughts couldn't compute what was happening, but everything pointed to Particle being a Cylon. The supervising crewman of the area approached the two pilots, as they arrived to where their ship was waiting for them - Meg desperately hoping that the deck crew had been able to contain the Marines and their hostages.

"I tried to stop them, but they had kids with them. They threatened the children..." he told them, confirming their worst fear - the had launched and were now off the ship.

"Let's go Captain!" shouted Meg - pulling Kara towards their own Raptor so that they could give pursuit. They were on board and powering up within seconds. Launching in record time, Meg scanned the Dradis hoping to catch sight of them.

"Galactica, this is Starbuck, I'm declaring an emergency aboard the Aerelon Drifter. Requesting assistance on tracking Raptor number 2-6; be advised there are two child hostages aboard the vessel. Do not fire, I repeat child hostages, do not fire," shouted Starbuck into the comm.

"Starbuck, Galactica, the CAP is en route for the search, I repeat the CAP is en route for the search," advised Dee who was doing her part from the CIC.

"They're heading for the far point of of the fleet - towards the Gemenon Traveler," said Meg, catching sight of the shuttle in question. "What's the plan?"

"I haven't gotten that far," admitted a nervous Kara, trying to figure out what to do next. Without so much as a warning, the shuttle suddenly jumped away - vanishing in the sky. "They jumped!" shouted Kara, afraid they had lost them for good. "Where'd they go?" _This wasn't happening, _thought Kara. She had just discovered the Lee was a father, and had lost his child in only a matter of minutes. Things were getting worse and worse by the minute. Kara, who normally would be able to think fast on her feet, didn't have a plan.

"I have an idea," said Meg, working frantically at the ECO station in the back of the Raptor. "Follow these coordinates," she said running back towards the co-pilots seat and punching in a jump location as quickly as she could type.

"What's this?" shouted Kara as they plotted the jump.

"The only idea I've got," stated Meg honestly.

"What are they doing?" asked Dee out loud.

"Lieutenant?" asked Lee, who had recently arrived in the CIC to see what was happening with the Aerelon Drifter. Word had spread that Starbuck was aboard on a special mission from Adama himself, and that Cassiopeia had gone with her for reasons unknown.

"Sir, it's Starbuck and Cassiopeia," she started. "They're spinning up their FTL drive."

"What are they doing?" asked Lee as he took the comm to contact the two pilots. "Cass? Starbuck?" he asked, as the signal was sent to the Raptor.

"Sorry Lee, can't explain," said Starbuck under her breathe, working quickly to continue the pursuit. There wasn't enough time to give a decent explanation, let alone start to give one.

"Actual, this is Cassiopeia, we're going back, I repeat, we're going back," said Cass quickly, and with that, they Raptor jumped away.

"We lost contact," reported Dee, not sure what was happening. Starbuck was apparently not following orders again. That wasn't new.

"Get them back!" barked Adama, but it was too late. There was nothing they could do.

**"Prophetess Pheme was granted a vision of Athena and Artemis vanishing in the sky, and it was feared that they would be lost forever, abandoning the lords in their banishment,"** declared Sarah Porter, standing next to Zarek and Adama in the CIC.

Next: Chapter 32 - Translation


	32. Translation

**Chapter 32: Translation**

"What do we know?" demanded Adama, as everyone shuffled into the room, theorizing on their own about what had just happened. One by one Zarek, Porter, Tigh, Apollo, Dee, and Gaeta took a seat ready to dig in for an angry Adama speech. With the mysterious events of the last few hours, and his growing agitation with Sharon Valerii, Adama was in no mood for any more mistakes or oversights.

"The coordinates were not filed, therefore, they could be...anywhere..." reported Gaeta softly, not happy with the fact that he had to be the one to deliver bad news.

"The Captain of the Drifter reported that they declared an emergency aboard the ship sir," Dee threw in. "Something must have happened before Starbuck and Cassiopeia launched."

"And the situation on the Drifter?" asked Lee.

"A fire. The captain reports that it has been contained and the victims are being tended to. Three casualties so far, two women and a child," announced Tigh. "They were working in a laundry facility aboard the ship."

"I'm glad to see that the President is concerned," mumbled Porter, just in earshot of Zarek. Zarek nodded in agreement. Being the vice-president, he had seen first hand what Baltar has been capable of - or more correctly, what he was not capable of.

"I want all ships deployed on this - all possible coordinates plotted," ordered Adama, angrily. "Apollo will assemble the pilots and - "

"There might be a way to narrow down the search," said Roslin, cutting in on the meeting. The room grew silent as they all turned to look at the former president who had quietly entered the room unnoticed. "Sarah, the passage you were reciting earlier, from the Prophetess Pheme? What do we know about the scripture? You had something to tell us before the Cylons attacked." All eyes were diverted to Sarah Porter, Gemenese representative to the Quorum.

"Well," she started, "this specific passage from the Prophetess Pheme is widely known. Numerous religious scholars have tried to interpret it before, but nothing solid has ever held over the years."

"You're our expert in the scrolls, Sarah. What would your interpretation be, given what has happened recently?" asked Zarek, his attention solely on her. Taking a moment, Sarah collected her thoughts.

"First, you must look at the words directly before the verse the Cylon recited to the Admiral; _along the path, one that is lost and feared will be recovered; she will bear the symbol of the W. The believers gathers and the Lords appeared before them, delivering in hand a sign of the Gods; and as the sign materialized before the leaders, they found it encircled in the flames of Hephaestus," _she finished reciting the verse._ "_My interpretation of that is of Cassiopeia's return."

"Cass as the sign of the gods?" asked Apollo, curious as to her explanation.

"Not necessarily her being the sign, but involved with what the sign is," explained Sarah.

"She will bear the sign of the W?" asked Zarek, unsure of what that meant.

"The ancient constellation of Cassiopeia!" announced Tigh. "In the astrological charts it reads of a constellation, able to be seen from the 13th colony that appears in the shape of a W."

"It's known as Cassiopeia, appearing in the sky next to the constellation Perseus and Andromeda," said Adama nodding along in agreement.

"One that is lost and feared," said Apollo. "Dad, you were concerned about Lt. Negalla when she had first returned."

"Well, she had been on that planet for years - with the Cylons," added Col. Tigh, assisting with the justification of Adama's suspicions. While Col. Tigh had never bought the scriptural basis of their lifestyles, nor had he ever been much of a believer, the odd coincidences of their situation were hard to ignore.

"Along the path could easily be interpreted as our quest for earth, and the lords appearing and delivering in hand a sign of the Gods... I don't know..." said Roslin, trying to connect the verses together.

_"The leaders refused such an unworldly gift, and they were punished for their disbelief in the gods;" _continued Sarah. "_As the gods placed the leaders and their peoples into exile, they offered a sacrifice of the ram, but the gods denied the people. Prophetess Pheme was granted a vision of Athena and Artemis vanishing in the sky, and it was feared that they would be lost forever, abandoning the lords in their banishment_."

"The sacrifice of the ram - Aerelon's symbol is the ram," offered Apollo.

"The fire aboard the Drifter!" said Dee, starting to get where they were going. "The accident aboard the Drifter is the sacrifice. And Athena and Artemis vanishing in the sky is Starbuck and Cassiopeia disappearing in the Raptor.

"It goes on to say that _the peoples returned to the place of their sign to learn the truth and discover that one that is evil is an ally, and one that is an ally is a foe," _recited Sarah.

"The moral of the story is always take a sign from the gods seriously," said Zarek, the sound of regret in his voice.

"The peoples returned...the planet where we found Cass," said Apollo. "Cass's last transmission was, _we're going back. _That's where they went - that's where Starbuck and Cassiopeia are."

"Get four Raptors ready - we leave immediately," commanded Adama.

"Bill..." said Laura, holding in hand the copy of the scrolls she had taken with her to Kobol, she started to read aloud, "_When the believers gathers and the Lords appeared before them, delivering in hand a sign of the Gods; and as the sign materialized before the leaders, they found it encircled in the flames of Hephaestus... _the flames of Hephaestus... Hephaestus is the son of Hera. _The leaders refused such an unworldly gift, and they were punished for their disbelief in the gods..." _The horrified expression on Roslin's face told Adama exactly what she was thinking.

"Give me the room," said Adama sharply. "Apollo, get the pilots prepped for the mission, Col. Tigh, you have the CIC, Mr. Gaeta, plot the points for the return to the planet where Cassiopeia was found." Without question, they went to work, leaving with odd expressions on their faces, confused at the rush Adama was causing. Only Zarek, Sarah, Roslin, and Adama remained.

"We denied the gods!" hissed Roslin, "that was our denial of the truth to Sharon. We had the opportunity to inform her about Hera's life, and we let it go!" shouted Roslin, horrified with her own behavior and past actions. "Hera is the sign - Hera is the sign from the Gods!" shouted Roslin, in shock by her own past actions and what she had done to Sharon. "They have come for Hera and Sharon tried to warn us, so she could protect her child! One that is thought to be an enemy that isn't!"

"Is the daughter of Agathon and the Cylon alive?" asked Sarah. The silence that followed her question, and seeing both Adama and Roslin drop their faces to the floor told her everything. "The sign encircled in the flames of Hephaestus..." said Sarah, trying to understand what Roslin was getting at. "If the sign is in fact Hera, then the flames of Hephaestus - "

"Are the flames on the Aerelon Drifter," said Roslin, defeat in her voice. She has made a mistake, one that she would pay for, dearly. "Hera was adopted by Maya Sorbreen - and took the name Isis to hide her true identity. Maya lives aboard the Aerelon Drifter." As soon as Adama heard the words, he took the comm near the hatchway and waited for Col. Tigh to respond.

"Saul - I need the complete list of casualties from the captain aboard the Drifter," said Adama without any emotion behind his voice. "And have Dee, alert Doc Cottle and Helo to meet me in my office immediately."

In the course of five minutes, Saul had retrieved the information requested, and brought it to Adama in his quarters. While Adama had been hoping for a little more time to think about what he was going to say, he did somewhat appreciate his XO's promptness. Waiting with Helo and Apollo, Tigh stood handing Adama the report.

"The casualty list, Tena Fortule, Yetson Smith, and Maya Sorebreen," Tigh announced. The shock overcame Roslin - the death of her friend had been so unexpected. She had thought that both Isis and Maya would be safe, and she had been wrong. "The report also specifies that there were two Marines that left the ship before Starbuck and Cassiopeia, with two of the victims - two children." Adama read over the report carefully as Tigh made his announcement.

"Helo, I'm going to cut to the chase. Your daughter Hera is alive," said Adama.

"My daughter?" said Helo, tears forming in his eyes. "You lied to me?!" the anger in his voice taking over. "She was alive this whole time and you lied to me? I spread her ashes, I mourned her!"

"I can't go into a detailed explanation, but know this - she is now known as Isis Sorebreen, and she is one of the kidnap victims, along with a little boy, Billy Adams, son of Gianne Cartrou - "

"Who?!" asked Apollo, like the wind had been knocked out of him. The others in the room, surprised at his outburst seemed concerned with his tone.

"Billy Adams, son of Gianne Cartrou," repeated Adama, looking at his son with concern and worry.

"We don't know why, and until we talk with Cassiopeia or Starbuck, we won't get anymore insight. Sharon was reciting a passage of our scriptures, a prophecy from the Prophetess Pheme. From what Sarah Porter interpreted, it is coming full circle. Under the supervision of two Marines, as well as a co-pilot, I will release Sharon in your custody to fly this mission. We have every intention of getting your daughter back."

"And then?" asked Helo angrily? "Find someone else to take her from me?" shouted Helo, clearly furious with what had just been revealed to him.

"These are the cards you have been dealt," replied an equally angry Adama. "Take them, or don't take them at all- you're in the colonial fleet - act like it."

"The oath I took as an officer means nothing to me if it does not apply to my own daughter," shouted Helo.

"Then we shall take steps to be sure that she is included upon her safe return," said Roslin calmly. "But it won't do us any good if she doesn't return safely."

"Preparation?" asked Adama, directing the question to his son, who was still in a state of shock. "Apollo? Apollo?"

"The other child kidnapped - the son of Gianne Cartrou. His name is not Billy Adams," said Apollo quietly, realizing the truth had been there, he just hadn't look hard enough. "His name is Billy Adama." The room grew silent, as Adama looked his son in the eyes and knew - knew that Billy Adama was Lee's son, and his grandson. In light of the new information, Adama paused, trying to complete his sentence.

"We've all made mistakes, as have I, and because of this, I've clouded my judgment when it comes to Sharon Valerii, and for that, Helo, I owe you an apology. One that I don't expect you to accept. I will make a deal with you, though. If you bring back those children, I will see to it that Sharon is released for her cooperation."

"Can you guarantee this to me?" asked Helo, already knowing that his word was sincere.

"I give you my word," replied Adama. "Good hunting."

Helo, still emotional from the events that had just taken place, rushed out of the room to deliver the news to Sharon. Their daughter was alive, and they were going to rescue her, and then they would deal with Adama's betrayal. Then they would deal with what had been Roslin and Adama's ultimate mistake.

"Good hunting," Adama repeated to his son, who was barely able to look him in the eye.

"Good hunting," Lee replied, leaving the room.

Next: Chapter 33 - The Ally and The Foe


	33. The Ally and The Foe

**Chapter 33 - The Ally and The Foe **

Kara had set the Raptor down less than 25 yards from the rock quarry. The landing had been much smoother than the last, Cass remembered. She still wasn't exactly sure this plan was a good one, but hair brain schemes were her specialty, so this wasn't completely out of the ordinary for her. And from the last 48 hours, she'd learned they were Kara's as well. From their position, they could see down in the valley where Kara saw a reflecting light in the distance - Centurions.

"Maybe this wasn't such a great idea," said Kara motioning to the glare of light coming from the valley below. Cass saw it to and shot a worried look back at Kara.

"Yeah, I tend to jump into things rather quickly," started Meg, "but I always manage to come out alive... well, so far..." Truth was, she was worried too. The two pilots quickly shutdown the engine and got to work knowing that the Cylons had spotted their entry and would be there in just a few minutes. "You sure you can handle this?"

"You sure that you remember your way around this place?" asked Starbuck.

"I know this planet better than my home on Picon," said Cass. After two years of imprisonment on this planet, she'd learned her way around. Hiking and scouting out the land area was really the only thing to do while on the planet. That and play Triad with Particle. Particle... Particle, ECO for the Colonial Fleet, Military Strategist, Friend... Cylon.

"So, I realize that we went through this plan already, but..." started Starbuck before Meg cut her off.

"But you're having seconds thoughts and want to go back?" finished Meg, worried.

"No." replied Starbuck annoyed, "I have to be honest - I'm concerned with my own personal safety; rumor has it that you're a lousy shot out of the cockpit, and I don't want to die out here in the middle of nowhere." Had her look been a noise of any sort, it would have been deafening.

"Just follow the plan and don't do anything stupid. Rumor has it that's _your_ specialty," Cass shot back quickly. Loading supplies in their flight suit pockets, checking her pistol and placing it in her holster, she got the ready nod from Starbuck who had done the same. As they waited for the hatch to open, Cass felt it was her responsibility to be honest, and attempt to lighten the mood. "Just so you know, this is probably the stupidest thing I've ever done."

As they took a step down, the metal clanging of the Centurions marching toward their location could be heard in the distance. In a matter of minutes, they would meet them face-to-face. As Cass scouted out the approaching Cylons in the distance, Starbuck started looking into her surroundings out of habit. An unusual rock formation caught her attention, as she looked over the entrance of the quarry they were settled next to.

"You know that passage in the scrolls, the one that talks about the ram coming to the water bearer when he's in need?" she asked. Cass nodded somewhat startled by Starbuck's religious beliefs.

"I never would have pictured you to be particularly religious, but yeah, I know it. It's in Pheme, right?" said Cass. Starbuck nodded.

"I read a lot of works about Artemis; she's a patroness of mine. That rock formation over there," she said pointed towards the eastern portion of the quarry, "what does it look like to you?" Cass took a minute to take in the formation, and realized what she was getting at.

"A ram," said Cass, trying to put it all together in her head. "I've never noticed that before."

"And see there?" said Starbuck, observing a watermark. "A dried up waterfall?"

"Not dried up, just only active during the rainy season," informed Cass, thinking hard about the coincidences. "Just like in the passage..."

"Something just feels right..." her voice trailed off. "It's just so weird that when I saw that rock structure, it just came to me... I can't explain it," stated an increasingly nervous Starbuck. "I have a feeling that this is the place of the sign."

"The sign encircled in the flames of Hephaestus?" Starbuck nodded. "How familiar are you with the passage?" asked Cass, not quite remembering the verse as well as she should from learning it in grammar school.

"The basics," said Starbuck, still scouting out her current environment. "It ends with the verse, _the peoples returned to the place of their sign to learn the truth and discover that one that is evil is an ally, and one that is an ally is a foe_."

"And you think that this is the place?" asked Cass.

"I don't know, but there are an awful lot of coincidences between our current situation and that passage," said Starbuck. The events of the scrolls coming to life were really starting to scare both of them.

"When you figure it out - let me know which bad guy is really an ally, and vice versa, because I'm usually that last to know. Case in point? My ECO," said Cass, still angry about it, standing not far from the Raptor facing the incoming Cylons.

"Deal," said Starbuck. "Just keep your eyes open for a fish or a virgin - that's when things start to get ugly."

"Comforting," replied Cass. Silence fell as the metal clanks of the Centurions started up the hill where they were standing.

"One question," said Starbuck quickly, coming up to stand next to her without so much as a look in Cass's direction. "What's the one thing you miss most about the Colonies?"

"We're seconds away from facing Cylon Centurions and gods know what else, and _that's_ your question?" asked Cass surprised. Kara nodded, she was serious.

"Why?" asked Kara.

"I just figured with our current predicament, it would be something about the afterlife or pity from the gods or even my thoughts on the suggestion that we try and make a run for it and wait till Adama comes around," rambled Cass.

"Those ideas crossed my mind, but I didn't want to admit it," said Starbuck, trying to calm her own nerves.

"The Picon Star Tribune, " said Cass after taking a brief moment to think it over. "I'm a news junkie," she shrugged after receiving a questionable and surprised look from Starbuck. "You?" The clanking sounds in the distance were getting closer and closer.

"It's a toss up between Caprican fumarella leaf and this big casino back on Tauron," she replied.

"The Pleiades?" asked a curious Cass.

"Yeah, you know it?" asked Starbuck.

"I've been there a couple times, before I got tossed out of there because of Lee," she replied, laughing at herself, thinking back to the incident. The Centurions were only fifteen yards from them now, weapons drawn. They could see some human like models walking behind them, but couldn't tell which particular model it was. Slowly, Cassiopeia and Starbuck raised their hands in the air. For two people that didn't really get along, they certainly had a good understanding of each other.

"One last question," said Starbuck, looking the slightest bit nervous, "anything ever happen between you and Lee?" but before Cass could answer, she was cut off by a Five.

"Well, well, well, what have we here?" asked the Cylon known as Doral. "Two stranded Colonial pilots, along way from home, no help in sight?" Starbuck traded glances with Cassiopeia, silently confirming to her - again - that she still didn't like the plan.

"We wish to speak to you about the Cylon number eight model aboard Galactica," said Cass as formal as she could manage. "We're here in peace."

"Doesn't look like it," said a Six standing next to him, motioning to their side arms. Kara and Meg slowly and carefully pulled the side arms out of the holster and placed them on the ground.

"You can take that as act of goodwill," said Kara, trying to hold back her contempt.

"Hands on your head. Follow me," said the Six, as she turned down the hill. With a quick glance at each other, Kara and Meg obeyed her orders and followed, as the Centurions positioned themselves all around their new prisoners.

For two people usually ready for anything, they had no way to predict what would happen with their current situation. All the planning in the world would not be able to help them anticipate the Cylon's next move, and that scared the hell out of both Starbuck and Cassiopeia.

Next: Chapter 34 - The Plan


End file.
